ARIZONA CARDINALS

Something new: Arizona Cardinals finally win a close game

Oct 26, 2015, 10:15 PM | Updated: Oct 27, 2015, 9:17 am

Baltimore Ravens tight end Crockett Gillmore (80) his tackled by Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyra...

Baltimore Ravens tight end Crockett Gillmore (80) his tackled by Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) and Tony Jefferson (22) during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 26, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Winning close games was a trademark of the 2014 Arizona Cardinals.

All 11 of the team’s victories were one-score games at some point in the fourth quarter.

That hasn’t been the case this season. The first four wins of the year for Bruce Arians’ team have come by an average margin of 25.5 points.

The two tight games the Cardinals had played — against St. Louis and at Pittsburgh — saw the opposition make the requisite plays to notch a ‘W’.

Arizona needed to win a close game. They got one Monday night.

Safety Tony Jefferson intercepted a Joe Flacco pass in the end zone with six seconds remaining, preserving a 26-18 win over the Baltimore Ravens in front of 64,722 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

“We played until the final whistle and made a big play at the end,” Arians said. “We wanted this kind of game. We needed to be in one of these types of games and win it and we kind of exorcised that ‘can we win it at the end’-type thing.

“I was very, very pleased with our football team.”

Granted, it didn’t look like the game would be close in the late stages. With 8:08 remaining, quarterback Carson Palmer hit John Brown on a four-yard touchdown pass, capping an 11-play, 79-yard drive that took over six minutes off the clock.

But the door remained wide-open for Baltimore (1-6) when kicker Chandler Catanzaro clanked the extra point off the right upright, keeping the margin at 16 points, 26-10.

Later in the fourth quarter, a Cardinals’ drive stalled at their own 30-yard line. Asa Jackson broke through and blocked a Drew Butler punt which Raheem Mostert recovered at the one-yard line. One play later, Flacco found fullback Kyle Juszczyk for the touchdown. Then Flacco hit tight end Nick Boyle on the two-point conversion to trim the Arizona lead to eight.

The Cardinals would get just 23 yards in their next possession, but forced Baltimore into using all their timeouts before punting.

Flacco drove the Ravens all the way down to the Arizona nine-yard line, but his second-down pass intended for tight end Crockett Gillmore was picked off by Jefferson, who slid and got both knees down before going out of bounds.

Gillmore had beaten Jefferson twice on the possession, including a 23-yarder that gave the Ravens a first-and-goal at the Cardinals’ four-yard line.

“It’s like Déjà vu,” Jefferson said. “We’ve got to get back to how we used to win these games, and we did it tonight.”

Safety Tyrann Mathieu, who finished with seven total tackles, three tackles for loss and his first quarterback sack of the season, is curious to see what this type of win can do for the team’s confidence moving forward.

“Our coach has been harping on us the last couple weeks, especially with the two losses we have had this season,” he said. “As a team, we still like we haven’t played our best game yet, just giving those guys touchdowns.

“I am really excited to see what we can do when we are playing at our best.”

Presented By
Western Governors University

Arizona Cardinals

Desmond Ridder runs the rock against Houston...

Tyler Drake

Desmond Ridder eager to remind fellow Cardinals QB Clayton Tune about college wins

Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder may not know Kyler Murray just yet, but he and Clayton Tune go way back.

16 hours ago

LSU's Malik Nabers, a top NFL Draft prospect...

Kevin Zimmerman

NFL Draft: Malik Nabers to visit Arizona Cardinals after LSU pro day, per report

Top NFL Draft receiver prospect Malik Nabers will reportedly visit with the Arizona Cardinals after the LSU Tigers' pro day.

20 hours ago

Desmond Ridder looks to pass...

Tyler Drake

QB1 or not, Desmond Ridder keeping starter mentality with Cardinals

New Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder is focused on using the good and the bad from his first two seasons rather than listening to outside chatter.

2 days ago

Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray look on...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon: Kyler Murray’s ‘best football is ahead of him’

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon believes Kyler Murray will continue taking the necessary steps forward with a full offseason of work.

2 days ago

Kyler Murray chats with Jonathan Gannon...

Arizona Sports

Arizona Cardinals will face ‘really good’ AFC opponent for joint preseason practices

The Arizona Cardinals expect to hold joint practices in the preseason against a really good AFC opponent, in the words of Jonathan Gannon.

2 days ago

Patriots and Cardinals kick off return in 2020...

Associated Press

NFL owners approve new kickoff rules for 2024

NFL kickoff rules will take on a hybrid approach similar to the XFL. League owners approved the new measures Tuesday.

2 days ago

Something new: Arizona Cardinals finally win a close game