Perfection feels like an eternity ago for Arizona fans who've watched their Cardinals drop two straight, including a 19-16 overtime heartbreaker to Buffalo on Sunday. (AP) |
Jay Feely, meet agony and ecstasy.
John Skelton, just meet agony.
Feely drilled a 61-yard field goal to tie the game late in the fourth quarter but missed a relative chip shot to win it in regulation and Skelton threw a fateful interception to Buffalo's Jairus Byrd in overtime as the Bills (3-3) eked out a 19-16 win Sunday in Arizona. The loss dropped the Cardinals to 4-2.
Byrd jumped a Skelton pass on the Cardinals' third offensive play in overtime, following a Bills punt, and his return to the 5-yard line set up kicker Rian Lindell for the 25-yard game-winner. It was Byrd's second interception for the Bills, who also sacked Kevin Kolb five times and knocked him out of the game with a rib/chest injury.
Skelton came in with 2:06 remaining in regulation to miss on five of six passes. The one he hit was a big one, though, a 17-yard connection to Larry Fitzgerald that set up Feely for the long field goal. After forcing a quick three-and-out, the Cardinals got the ball back. Skelton hit Fitzgerald for 28 yards, but Feely's 38-yard kick hit the left upright.
When the game turned: Byrd's huge interception return that set the Bills up for the game-winning field goal was a difference maker. But Feely, who shanked the 38-yarder to send it into overtime, deserves honorable mention. Either way, the Cardinals made two big mistakes when it counted.
Highlight moments: It wasn't a day of home runs, as the two teams combined for just three touchdowns, none of more than 10 yards. The biggest highlight had to be Feely's big boot, which looked like it could've gone 65 yards with ease.
Top-shelf performances: The Cardinals were missing RBs Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams, but the running game looked better than it has maybe all year, thanks to Kolb and William Powell. The breakout preseason star had 13 carries for 70 yards, and Kolb added 66 on five runs. Their 136 combined yards were just five less than Buffalo RBs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson had (141). Spiller had 88 yards and a touchdown; Jackson added 53 and a score. ... Fitzgerald continues his climb up the record books with six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. ... Disappointing free-agent acquisition Mario Williams had two big sacks for Buffalo. ... Arizona's normally hounding defense sacked Fitzpatrick just twice.
What they said about the back-and-forth contest:
- Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald -- "Tough loss for my
@azcardinals today! Adversity is what defines you and we will overcome this." - Arizona HC Ken Whisenhunt -- "“If we make more plays early in the game, then we don’t have to live on the edge. The stress of it is pretty tough on everybody." (via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
- Arizona K Jay Feely: “You go from on top of the world to feeling about as low as you can feel when you have an opportunity and you don’t come through, regardless of how it happened." (via Urban)
- Buffalo HC Chan Gailey: “You don’t think there’s any way a guy is going to make a 61-yarder. (via Urban)
Numbers you should know: Kolb managed just a meager 64.3 quarterback rating after completing 14 of 26 passes for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception. That was like a brush with perfection compared to Skelton, though. Skelton's 2 of 10 passing for 45 yards and the fateful interception added up to all of a 6.3 rating. ... Despite missing its top two running backs, the Arizona running game accounted for 182 yards. ... Kolb was sacked for the 22nd time in three games before being sidelined with a rib/chest injury. Whisenhunt said he was getting X-rays after the game, with no immediate word on their results.
Going forward: It was a painful loss for the Cardinals in many ways. Now comes a gauntlet on par with the toughest in the league, with games at Minnesota, against San Francisco and at Green Bay before a much-needed bye week. But wait, then it's a trip to Atlanta. Oh, joy.
Banged-up Buffalo gets a winnable game next week at home against the Titans before a much-needed bye week. Then it's on to face the Texans and Patriots in back-to-back road challenges.
For more news and analysis from Cardinals blogger Jon Gold, follow @CBSSportsNFLARI on Twitter.