NFL Recap (NY Giants-Arizona)
Posted: Sun December 6, 1998 at 9:24 p.m. EST
NY GIANTS 23, ARIZONA 19
TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) -- In the coldest home game in Arizona Cardinals
history, quarterback Jake
Plummer froze.
With the game-time temperature at 41 degrees, Plummer failed to keep
the Cardinals in control of the NFC's third and final wild card spot. He
threw two interceptions and fumbled once in a 23-19 loss to the New York Giants, who
scored 13 points after the three turnovers and erased a 10-point deficit.
"I don't have any more gifts to give you," Plummer said. "I gave them
all on the field. ... I take the blame. I gave the ball away too many
times. It's an early Christmas."
Arizona also could have moved within one game of Dallas atop the NFC
East. Instead, the Cardinals (6-7) dropped into a tie for the third wild
card position with New Orleans, one-half game ahead of Tampa Bay and one
game in front of New York (5-8) and Detroit.
"I'm sure you'll have to win out," said Arizona coach Vince Tobin on
the chances of his team reaching the postseason. "I know there's three
games left. I do know we still control our own destiny. If we win our
three games, we're going to be in."
"We're still one game out of a playoff spot," said Giants running back
Gary Brown. "It's not
that far fetched. We need help, but everybody needs help. We only can
control what we do."
Plummer completed only 18-of-40 passes for 263 yards but did lead
Arizona to the Giants 6-yard line with two minutes left. His fourth-down
pass, however, fell incomplete in the end zone.
New York climbed back into playoff contention with a dominant ground
game that outgained Arizona, 200-73, in the rain. Gary Brown carried 25
times for 124 yards.
"The weather being what it was, it was tough to throw," said Giants
quarterback Kent
Graham. "We did a good job running and moving the ball and keeping it
away from them. ... Running it the way we were, there was no need in
throwing it."
"We wanted to run with it and with the rain you really have to
emphasize the running game, because you have the advantage," added Brown.
"They kind of got worn out with the inuries, but we still had to work hard.
They still have talented people behind the guys who were out. We didn't
want to become complacent."
The Cardinals suffered miserably on defense without star lineman Eric Swann, who is
schedule for surgery Monday on his right knee. Their first-round pick,
linebacker Andre
Wadsworth, suffered a right calf contusion but finished the game.
They also played without linebacker Ronald McKinnon, while
starting lineman Simeon
Rice played sparingly due to a rib injury. Defensive end Mark Smith left the game
late in the second half with an ankle injury and did not return.
"We were very battered," Tobin said. "Simeon Rice went out, Mark
Smith went out. We only dressed six defensive linemen, so we only had
four. We had three starters going out into the game and lost some during
the game."
The Giants trailed 17-7 late in the first half, but rookie safety Shaun Williams intercepted
Plummer and returned the ball six yards to the Cardinals 45. Three plays
later, Brad Daluiso
kicked a 51-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
New York cut the deficit to 17-13 on its first possession of the
second half. Assisted by Graham's 16-yard pass to Chris Calloway and a
13-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on defensive back Kwamie Lassiter, Daluiso
converted from 28 yards.
Defensive lineman Cedric Jones victimized
Plummer on the ensuing possession, sacking him on 3rd-and-10, forcing a
fumble and recovering it on Arizona's 36.
The Giants' ground game immediately took over. Brown and Charles Way, who had 60
yards on 13 carries, dominated the seven-play drive, gaining a combined 46
yards. Way scored on an eight-yard run as New York grabbed a 20-17 lead
with 4:08 left in the third quarter.
"We stayed with it a little bit," Fassel said. "I told the offensive
line what we had planned and what we were doing could work. I just needed
them to refocus at halftime."
Plummer led the Cardinals right back, connecting with Frank Sanders on a 19-yard
pass and Rob Moore on a
38-yard bomb to the 1. After taking a two-yard loss on 2nd-and-goal from
the 2, Plummer was intercepted in the end zone by defensive back Jeremy Lincoln.
"That was my instincts taking over, trying to make a play," Plummer
said. "It would have been smarter just to take the sack."
"The defense was strong. They stepped up," Fassle countered. "The
interception in the end zone was huge. That could have made the
difference."
The Giants used the ground game and another crucial penalty before
Daluiso's 45-yarder increased the lead to 23-17. On 3rd-and-8 from his own
22, Kent Graham threw incomplete, but safety Ty Howard was penalized 15
yards for unnecessary roughness.
Way and Brown then combined for 45 yards over the next seven plays
before Daluiso's field goal with 11:34 to play gave New York a six-point
advantage.
"We just let them run the ball," said Arizona linebacker Jamir Miller. "We went
away from the things we were doing succesfully against them to contain
them, and they took advantage of that. We didn't have either of our
starting tackles. We just got beat up this week."
Arizona threatened late, moving 54 yards on nine plays to the Giants
6. But with 1:54 remaining, linebacker Corey Widmer broke up
Plummer's pass intended for Sanders in the end zone.
"We had a lot of opportunities in this ballgame to win it or put
ourselves in a position to win it," Tobin said. "Really, the game came
down to running the football. They ran the ball very, very effectively, we
didn't. Usually, that's the difference in the football game, turnovers and
opportuinities."
Earlier in the drive, on 3rd-and-3 from the 33, Plummer ran 30 yards
up the middle. But Moore's holding penalty pushed the ball back to the 39.
Adrian Murrell
helped the Cardinals to a 14-7 lead with a 20-yard TD reception and an
eight-yard scoring run. He finished with one catch and 16 rushes for 53
yards.
Between Murrell's scores, running back Tiki Barber took New
York's longest play from scrimmage this season 87 yards off a screen from
Graham, a former Cardinal, who completed just 8-of-23 passes for 144 yards
with two interceptions.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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