The Arizona Cardinals beat the Washington Redskins 31-23 in a fantastic football game. The game had four lead changes in the second half and some final drive drama for both teams. This is the type of win Cardinals fans expected more of this season.
Arizona Cardinals Week 13 Takeaways
David Johnson on the Verge of History
David Johnson has over 100 yards from scrimmage in every single game this year. There is an elite list of players to have streaks this deep in the season. Marcus Allen, Edgerrin James, and the great Barry Sanders are joined by the second year back out of Northern Iowa University. No player has ever gone all 16 weeks with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, and it looks like Johnson could have his sights set on that record.
Palmer Was Great on Third Down
The offense was 10-16 on third down and of the ten, eight were for six yards or more. Two worth highlighting were from Michael Floyd and Jermaine Gresham. On third and goal from the six, Carson Palmer threw an absolute laser between two defenders and Floyd was able to make the grab for the touchdown. The score gave the Cardinals a brief four-point lead in the third quarter. The second conversion from Gresham was a third and eight in the fourth quarter. Palmer found Gresham on a five-yard out and Gresham turned up the field and lowered his shoulder burying Josh Norman and running over him for the first down.
Larry Fitzgerald Pads Hall of Fame Numbers
There was already a strong case for Larry Fitzgerald to end up in Canton, Ohio someday. This Sunday he set aside any doubts by climbing the all-time receptions list to number three. Fitzgerald passed his mentor Cris Carter and Indianapolis Colt great Marvin Harrison and is now only trailing Tony Gonzalez and Jerry Rice. Fitzgerald said it was humbling to realize that he was still 400 catches behind Rice, in fact, he is 444 behind him for the record. It’s a magnificent accomplishment for Fitzgerald given the lack of stability at the quarterback position throughout his career.
No Risk It, No Biscuit
Bruce Arians loves that phrase, and he lives by it. A few times this season Arians has taken a conservative approach to a game with poor results. This week was much different. Arians went for it on fourth down inside Redskins territory. It was risky, but the Cardinals got 14 yards on a David Johnson run. On second and ten inside two minutes, Palmer threw deep for a score that would seal the game. While most coaches would have run the ball to keep the clock moving and hope your defense could hold, Arians went for the jugular.
Final Thoughts
Traveling to the east coast has not gone well for Arizona historically. They will be playing a tough Miami team that is desperate for a win. They will need production from more than just their superstars. There is still a chance Arizona could sneak into the playoffs. Probably won’t make it, but it is still fun to have a shot.
