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| ATL at STL | BUF at WAS | CIN at PIT | CLE at ARI | DEN at OAK | DET at MIN | GB at DAL | HOU at TEN |
| JAX at IND | NE at BAL | NYG at CHI | NYJ at MIA | SD at KC | SEA at PHI | SF at CAR | TB at NO |
Week 13 Game Recap: Cleveland Browns 21, Arizona Cardinals 27
What you need to know
| Cleveland Browns |
Seeking their eighth win of the year, the Browns started the game by shooting themselves in the collective foot with penalties and interceptions. In the end, the turnovers proved to be too much to overcome and the Browns lost their fifth game of the season. QB Derek Anderson threw two critical interceptions in the first half that swung the game's momentum toward the Cardinals. Anderson finished the day with a decent line, going 21 of 41 for 304 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Anderson's usual targets of Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius all saw action during the game but it was Edwards with his seven catches, 149 yards and one touchdown that lead the way for the Browns passing offense.
Jamal Lewis found some success running straight ahead into the Cardinals defense. With the Cleveland offensive line struggling to get a good push against the Arizona defenders, Lewis only tallied 16 carries for 62 yards and no rushing touchdowns. Lewis was also left in the game for a handful of third down plays, seeing some action as a check-down receiver and even caught a touchdown pass.
The Browns defense remained the team's Achilles heel. Cleveland struggled to shut down the Arizona pass attack, giving Kurt Warner plenty of time to work through his receiver progressions and find an open man. Adding to the mix was the Browns inability to stop the Cardinals rushing game. Edgerrin James was able to average 4.8 yards per carry and ripped off 114 yards on 24 carries, mainly due to the inability of the Cleveland front three to close or fill any gaps in the line on rushing plays. The game ended on a very controversial call as Derek Anderson completed what appeared to be a game winning touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow who caught the ball and was pushed out of bounds in the end zone. However, the play was reviewed and it was ruled an incompletion.
| Arizona Cardinals |
The Arizona Cardinals capitalized on the Browns mistakes, winning their sixth game of the season. Kurt Warner was without Larry Fitzgerald and lost Anquan Boldin to injury in the game. Despite the losses, Warner still compiled a decent line going 18 for 30 for 169 yards, two touchdowns and only one interception. Bryant Johnson lead a wide array of Cardinals receivers, catching six passes for 56 yards and one touchdown. While no other Arizona receiver had a major impact on the game, the combination of eight receivers catching passes, helped set up the Cardinals rushing offense.
Edgerrin James ripped off 114 yards on 24 carries, with most of his work coming later in the game as the Cardinals burned off the clock. James was a non-factor in the passing offense, but did provide quality rushing late in the fourth quarter that set up the final field goal for the Cardinals, putting the game out of the Browns reach.
While the Cardinals defense had a lackluster showing against Braylon Edwards, they were effective at shutting down the rest of the Browns receivers, as none had more than 44 receiving yards. The Cardinals did struggle to put any kind of pressure on Derek Anderson, sacking him only once. Arizona did have success forcing turnovers, making two key interceptions that turned into 14 points. From these points off turnovers, the Cardinals were able to force the Browns to play from behind and take pressure off the Arizona rush defense against Jamal Lewis as Cleveland moved away from the ground attack.
What you ought to know
| QB Derek Anderson, Pass: 21 - 41 - 304 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - 10 - 0 |
Anderson had a rough day to start the game, throwing two interceptions in the first half. On the first interception, Anderson threw a nice pass but was victimized by the CB, Roderick Hood, breaking off his coverage to make a play on the ball. The second interception was a poorly thrown pass into triple coverage. Anderson did show a lot of poise to rebound from the throws and keep the Browns in the game with the passing attack. Following the second interception, it was clear that Anderson was making more of an attempt to go through his receiver progressions and seemed to make much better decisions.
| RB Jamal Lewis, Rush: 16 - 62 - 0, Rec: 3 - 24 - 1 (3 targets) |
Lewis played a strong game, having success rushing the ball up the center of the field. He was largely a non-factor in the second half as the Browns were forced to play from behind and largely abandoned the rushing game in favor of the passing attack. Lewis did flash some presence in the passing game, catching a swing pass from Anderson, leaping over a diving defender and plowing his way into the end zone at the end of the first half. He did take a big hit after getting into the endzone but came out to play the second half and showed no effects from the play.
| WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 7 - 149 - 1 (13 targets) |
Edwards had another solid day, dropping only one pass and making some tough catches for the Browns. In the third quarter, on single coverage against CB Antrel Rolle, Edwards ran a short slant over the middle of the field, made a tough catch in traffic and was subject to a fierce hit from Rolle coming over the back. Edwards was able to not only hang on the ball, but take the hit and still reach forward for the first down. The play was one of the many ways Edwards was integrated into the Browns offense. At the end of the third quarter, Edwards put a very nice double move on Antrel Rolle, streaking past the defender, to make a leaping catch that resulted in a 67 yard touchdown. Aside from demonstrating his impressive moves, the play showed the speed Edwards has, as he easily gained separation from his defenders.
| WR Joe Jurevicius, Rec: 4 - 44 - 0 (8 targets) |
Jurevicius turned in another workman-like effort with four catches for 44 yards and no touchdowns. He continues to be the go to possession receiver for the Browns, often being used on third and short passing yardage situations.
| TE Kellen Winslow Jr, Rec: 3 - 35 - 0 (9 targets) |
Winslow had a very quiet day as he mainly saw double coverage all game long. His modest line of only three catches for 35 yards is a testament toward the effectiveness of the Cardinals defense. He did however make a nice catch on the last play of the game that appeared to be the game winning TD. But it was reviewed and ruled an incompletion.
| PK Phil Dawson 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points |
Dawson had a good game going two for two on field goals and making one extra point.
| CLE Rush Defense |
The Browns struggled to contain the poor rushing offense of the Cardinals. They allowed Edgerrin James his second 100 yard rushing game of the season and were unable to get much penetration or push against the Arizona offensive line. Even late in the game, with the Cardinals rushing the ball to burn up the clock, and with eight men in the box, the Browns were simply unable to contain the Cardinals rush.
| CLE Pass Defense |
The Browns did have some success shutting down the Cardinals pass defense. This was not due to the talent and ability of the Browns defenders but more to the fact that both Fitzgerald and Boldin were out of the game. Kurt Warner was able to complete passes to eight different receivers and often times found his receivers wide open with room to run after the catch. Warner faced minimal pressure in the form of blitzes or pressures for most of the afternoon.
| QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 18 - 30 - 169 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 |
Warner played a very good game, despite not having Larry Fitzgerald, losing Anquan Boldin and nursing both elbow and rib injuries. Despite the injuries, Warner's throws were crisp and, for the most part, on target all game long. His best play of the game was his touchdown pass to Leonard Pope in the first quarter. On the play, Warner was flushed from the pocket but still had the presence of mind to move forward toward the line of scrimmage, stop before crossing it, and threw an absolute bullet to Pope who was stuck between two defenders. Warner mixed up his passes to a myriad of players, completing passes to eight different receivers.
| RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 24 - 114 - 0 (2 targets) |
James had a good day, rushing for 114 yards, only his second 100 yard game of the season. Despite losing Anquan Boldin and not having Larry Fitzgerald for the game, the Cardinals did not commit to the run game until late in the fourth quarter to run off the clock. During this phase, the Cardinals were very successful in running James straight up the middle of the field and the Browns were unable to shut down the rushing attack.
| WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 6 - 56 - 1 (11 targets) |
Johnson became the de facto go to receiver for the Cardinals in the wake of Fitzgerald's and Boldin's injuries. Most of the pass plays were designed to go toward Johnson and he handled the pressure admirably. While not flashing break away speed, Johnson had success working the sides of the field, running out patterns and, occasionally, going over the middle. His touchdown catch was a nice one yard reception from Warner to the left side of the field, beating double coverage and coming down with the pass.
| WR Anquan Boldin, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (2 targets) |
Boldin was a non-factor for most of the game and didn't see his first target until half way through the third quarter. Following his first reception, Boldin came up from the tackle with a slight limp in his left leg. On the very next play, trying to drive off the line of scrimmage, Boldin hit the turf, in obvious pain, favoring his left leg. He was unable to put any pressure on the leg and did a one leg hop off the field. It was clear from the look on Boldin's face that the injury was not only frustrating but possibly very concerning.
| WR Larry Fitzgerald |
Fitzgerald did not play in this game due to a groin injury.
| TE Leonard Pope, Rec: 2 - 14 - 1 (3 targets) |
Pope had a fairly quiet day, catching a laser-like touchdown pass from Kurt Warner in the first half. In the second half, Pope dropped a touchdown catch in the endzone and nearly tipped the pass into the Cleveland defender's hands. Following this play, Pope became a non-factor in the Cardinals pass offense. Even before his touchdown drop, the Cardinals did not run many designed plays to Pope, keeping him in as an extra blocker on both pass and run plays.
| PK Neil Rackers 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points |
Rackers had a good day, going two for two on field goals and making three extra points.
| ARI Rush Defense |
The Cardinals rush defense was able to conatin the power rushing attack of Jamal Lewis. Due to turnovers the Browns were forced to play from behind for most of the game and did not have the chance to truly commit to the running game as they have in the past. When the Browns did run the ball, they found few lanes open and their longest rush play of the day only went for 12 yards.
| ARI Pass Defense |
The Cardinals had some success in the first half containing and forcing turnovers off the Browns passing game. They were also successful in double teaming Kellen Winslow and effectively shutting him out the game. Braylon Edwards did have a big game, however, and the Cardinals pass rush did not put much pressure on Derek Anderson all afternoon.
