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| Other Week 14 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL at NO | CIN at IND | CLE at TEN | DAL at PIT | HOU at GB | JAX at CHI | KC at DEN | MIA at BUF |
| MIN at DET | NE at SEA | NYJ at SF | OAK at SD | PHI at NYG | STL at ARI | TB at CAR | WAS at BAL |
Week 14 Game Recap: St. Louis Rams 10, Arizona Cardinals 34
What you need to know
| St. Louis Rams |
The Rams put up a valiant effort all for naught as they turned the ball over three times and gave up two second half Arizona defensive touchdowns en route to their seventh straight loss.
QB Marc Bulger threw for 226 yards on 22 of 37 attempts and one touchdown. Much of Bulger's yardage was achieved when late in the second half with the game was already decided. He involved everyone in the offense as he completed passes to ten different receivers.
RB Steven Jackson ran hard but only had 69 yards on 19 carries. Jackson appears to be over the injuries that have plagued him this season.
WR Torry Holt was the Rams' leading receiver with 61 yards on five catches. Holt was held without a catch in the first half gained much of his yardage late in the second half, on the Rams' last two drives, when the abandoned the running game.
| Arizona Cardinals |
QB Kurt Warner's continued his MVP type season completing 24 of 33 for 279 yards and one touchdown. Warner had over 200 yards passing in the first half and ran the Cardinals offense with his usual precision. He completed passes to six different receivers. His lone interception came when he was scrambling to his right and threw back across the middle of the field.
RB Tim Hightower scored the Cardinals' rushing touchdown (one yard) and set a Cardinals rookie record for most touchdowns in a season with ten. Hightower finished the game with 12 carries for 32 yards.
WRs Steve Breaston, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald continue to roll. The three tiered tandem had their usual productive game with Breaston leading the receiving corps with seven catches for 90 yards, 58 of the yards coming on a deep post pattern in the second quarter. Fitzgerald got the lone TD reception (12 yards) and finished with six catches for 71 yards. Boldin had five catches for 62 yards. All have great timing and rhythm with Warner.
What you ought to know
| QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 22 - 37 - 228 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -5 - 0 |
Bulger's stats were aided by the Rams' abandoning the run game in the second half and playing catch up. His touchdown pass went to Steven Jackson (three yards) to bring the Rams within seven points. While only sacked once, Bulger was hit often and threw two interceptions, one that was returned 99 yards for a touchdown. He completed passes to ten difference receivers.
| RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 19 - 64 - 0, Rec: 4 - 3 - 1 (5 targets) |
Jackson actually looks like he is over his nagging injuries that have plagued him for the last few weeks. He looked quick on his feet, and found some success with his longest run came on a cutback when he scampered 32 yards. Jackson scored the lone Rams touchdown on a three yard pattern over the middle. Jackson did lose two fumbles in this game, one of which was returned 11 yards for a Cardinals touchdown in the third quarter.
| RB Antonio Pittman, Rush: 4 - 26 - 0, Rec: 2 - 41 - 0 (3 targets) |
Pittman got most of his 67 total yards from scrimmage in the second half when the game was already decided. His longest rush was nine yards. He took a screen pass 27 yards late in the fourth quarter.
| WR Torry Holt, Rec: 5 - 61 - 0 (8 targets) |
Holt was the Rams' leading receiver with 61 yards on five catches. Holt did not have a catch in the first half. Much of his yardage was acquired in the fourth quarter in garbage time.
| WR Dane Looker, Pass: 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (7 targets) |
Looker had two catches for 27 yards with a long of 15 yards. He threw one pass on a reverse that was incomplete.
| WR Donnie Avery, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (6 targets) |
Avery had only two catches for 18 yards, but could have had a better game as he was targeted deep a couple of times, at least one time when he was wide open and the ball was overthrown.
| TE Joe Klopfenstein, Rec: 2 - 37 - 0 (2 targets) |
Klopfenstein finished with two catches for 37 yards and no touchdowns. Both catches came on back to back plays in the fourth quarter.
| PK Josh Brown 1 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points |
Brown had two field goal attempts missing one a 42 yard effort wide right in the second quarter and then connecting from 51 yards out in the fourth quarter. Brown was perfect on his only extra point attempt.
| STL Rush Defense |
Held the Cardinals to only 63 yards rushing and gave up a one yard touchdown run to Tim Hightower. The stats are more of a result of the Cardinals being a pass first team.
| STL Pass Defense |
The pass defense gave up a touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald (12 yards) but did very little to stop the Cardinals offense that moved the ball at will. On the day, they gave up 279 yards, one score, had one interception and a sack.
| QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 24 - 33 - 279 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 |
Warner continues to put up MVP type numbers and was well in command of this game tossing 279 yards on 24 of 33 attempts. Warner's lone interception was when he scrambled to his right and three across his body into the center of the field, a throw he normally doesn't attempt. He completed a short 12 yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald and completed passes to six different receivers. He was sacked only once.
| RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 12 - 32 - 1 (1 targets) |
Hightower attempted only 12 rushes in the game for 32 yards, but did score his tenth touchdown (one yard) on the Cardinals' first possession of the game. The touchdown, his tenth of the season, set a Cardinals' rookie rushing record for the most touchdowns for a season.
| RB J.J. Arrington, Rush: 5 - 22 - 0, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (5 targets) |
Arrington had 52 yards from scrimmage (22 rushing on five carries, three catches for 30 yards) and looked strong. His longest run was 16 yards. Arrington is mainly a third down back for the Cardinals offense.
| RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 3 - 11 - 0 |
James carried the ball three times for 11 yards and also looked strong.
| WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 7 - 90 - 0 (8 targets) |
Breaston was the game's leading receiver with 90 yards on seven catches. His longest catch was a 58 yard effort deep up the middle. Breaston did have an 18 yard catch called back that would have put him over the century mark for the game.
| WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 6 - 73 - 1 (9 targets) |
Fitzgerald had 73 yards on six catches with the lone Cardinals receiving touchdown of 12 yards. He was targeted deep twice and had a long catch of 23 yards. Fitzgerald just missed another touchdown on the Cardinals' first drive of the game, when he was stopped on the one yard line after a 14 yard catch.
| WR Anquan Boldin, Rec: 5 - 62 - 0 (6 targets) |
Boldin had five catches for 62 yards, but was kept out of the end zone. His longest catch was a slant pattern for 36 yards.
| PK Neil Rackers 2 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points |
Rackers connected on two field goals on the day 44 and 22 yards. He was perfect on all four of his extra points attempts.
| ARI Rush Defense |
The Cardinals rush defense gave up 85 total rushing yards, but did not give up a rushing touchdown. They scored once when Darnell Docket recovered a Steven Jackson fumble and ran it in from 11 yards.
| ARI Pass Defense |
The Cardinals pass defense surrendered 228 yards, but also had a score when rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie took a Bulger pass 99 yards for a touchdown. The defense sacked Bulger only once, but pressured him often. It was an over all good defensive effort, albeit from one of the worst offenses in the league.
