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| Other Week 6 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI at SEA | BAL at MIN | BUF at NYJ | CAR at TB | CHI at ATL | CLE at PIT | DEN at SD | DET at GB |
| HOU at CIN | KC at WAS | NYG at NO | PHI at OAK | STL at JAX | TEN at NE | ||
Week 6 Game Recap: Arizona Cardinals 27, Seattle Seahawks 3
Arizona Cardinals
| QB Kurt Warner, Pass: 32 - 41 - 276 - 2 TD / 1 INT |
Warner was 9-for-9 on the opening drive, which ended with a short touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. It didn't matter which receiver he threw to; he placed the ball perfectly every time. The offensive line gave him great protection in the opening quarter, giving Warner plenty of time to find an open man and leading to a 17-0 lead. The Seahawks put a bit more pressure on before the half, causing him to fumble once, but it was a minor setback on a day when the Cardinals absolutely dominated the time of possession battle. Warner was able to spread the ball around, finding eight different receivers on the day. His interception was on a Hail Mary pass to end the half, and is only a blemish on the stat sheet, not in his game. And this was with the Cardinals playing conservatively, with a comfortable lead the entire game.
| QB Matt Leinart, Pass: 2 - 2 - 16 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 |
Leinart played mop-up duty late in the 4th quarter. He was accurate on his two short throws, both for completions.
| RB Tim Hightower, Rush: 13 - 32 - 1, Rec: 4 - 26 - 0 (4 targets) |
Hightower showed good power running inside, and caught all three balls thrown to him. He never once seemed to be in danger of breaking out for any serious yardage, but always got a few yards, including a 2-yard touchdown plunge. Hightower and Wells had roughly the same number of touches, but Hightower got the short yardage calls, and was used more as a receiving option. Late in the game, both Cardinal running backs had trouble finding any room.
| RB Chris Wells, Rush: 12 - 29 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) |
Wells did a nice job breaking outside a couple of times and gaining a few extra yards. He also showed patience in waiting for the hole to develop, and then hit it hard. Hightower and Wells had roughly the same number of touches, but Hightower got the short yardage calls, and was used more as a receiving option. Late in the game, both Cardinal running backs had trouble finding any room.
| WR Larry Fitzgerald, Rec: 13 - 100 - 1 (15 targets) |
Fitzgerald's first catch of the game: he slips and falls, but extends while still on the ground, catches it, gets up, runs for a few more yards. He tied career high of thirteen catches in one game. Another highlight reel catch was his touchdown, a familiar sight, the short fade with one-on-one coverage. Most of his catches were for small gains; with the Cards dominating the clock, there was no need for more. How good was he? Of his 15 targets, one was a Hail Mary pass (for which he got credit as the target), and another was thrown just off the mark. Everything else, Fitzgerald caught. In a word: unstoppable
| WR Steve Breaston, Rec: 7 - 77 - 1 (9 targets) |
Breaston had a productive day, with seven receptions, including a nice touchdown grab where he did his Fitzgerald imitation, skying for a high pass and positioning his body to block out the defender at the same time. He also had a long punt return that nearly went all the way, but he was tackled by the kicker. From game to game, the Cardinals ball distribution changes, but it is worth noting that Warner looked Breaston's way more often than Anquan Boldin. If that becomes a trend, it is a situation that bears watching.
| WR Anquan Boldin, Rec: 6 - 54 - 0 (7 targets) |
Boldin actually looked like Warner's third option, behind Fitzgerald and Breaston, and was not targeted in the red zone at all. He suffered an ankle sprain during the game but played through it, so that could partially explain his lesser role this week. Boldin did move the chains on three of his receptions, so he is still being used in key situations and comes through when called upon.
| WR Jerheme Urban, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) |
Urban caught two passes, both for first downs. That Warner was able to find him at all, given his other receiving options, is impressive. Urban showed reliable hands and route running when called upon.
Seattle Seahawks
| QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 10 - 29 - 112 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 |
Hasselbeck started off well, with a 14 yard completion to Nate Burleson. For Hasselbeck, it was all downhill from there. An incompletion, followed by a lost fumble, and the Seahawks offense did not see the ball again until the second quarter. Playing from behind -- a 17-0 deficit -- Hasselbeck seemed to take it all in stride, but wasn't able to get anything going. His throws were inaccurate at times, and his receivers had trouble getting open, while dropping a few that they shouldn't have. It added up to a lot of three-and-outs. The closest he got to scoring was when he almost connected for a long TD to Deon Butler, but the pass was just barely out of reach. The Cardinals defense kept him off balance throughout, with constant pressure and good coverage. It's hard to fault the play calling or Hasselbeck's decision making; bottom line, the defense had him rattled and he was never able to establish a rhythm.
| RB Julius Jones, Rush: 5 - 5 - 0 |
Being down 17-0 before the Seahawks really had the ball, meant there was very little opportunity to run the ball.
| RB Edgerrin James, Rush: 3 - 3 - 0 |
James carried the ball a few times against his former NFC Champ mates, but the Seahawks were trailing all day, and did not run often.
| RB Justin Forsett, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (1 targets) |
Forsett's carries came in garbage time, when the game was clearly out of reach. He almost gave his team a little momentum when he picked up some yardage on a short pass, but not enough to convert a long 3rd down.
| WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (8 targets) |
Houshmandzadeh had a couple of first down grabs early, but after halftime, he and Hasselbeck were not able to connect. A prime example is Hasselbeck's interception, which was overthrown though Houshmandzadeh was finally open.
| WR Nate Burleson, Rec: 2 - 40 - 0 (5 targets) |
Burleson's two catches both went for first downs, but his opportunities were too few to have a productive day.
| WR Deon Butler (1 targets) |
Butler nearly had a catch that would have changed the game considerably. A long pass that glanced off his fingertips and would have been a touchdown if caught. Butler typically gets one of these opportunities each game, but only one.
| TE John Carlson, Rec: 2 - 55 - 0 (6 targets) |
Carlson was not in synch with Hasselbeck at all. His big play was a 42 yard reception on a fake punt. Beyond that, he made a bad drop on what would have been a 3rd down conversion on a beautiful pass from Hasselbeck in the 2-minute drill in the first half. In the fourth quarter, he literally had a pass bounce off helmet.