NFL Recap (San Diego-Arizona)
Posted: Sun December 27, 1998 at 11:01 p.m. EST
ARIZONA 16, SAN DIEGO 13
TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) -- The Arizona Cardinals rode
an emotional roller coaster and yet another dramatic game-winning field
goal to their first playoff berth in 16 years.
After allowing a game-tying 30-yard touchdown pass with just 16
seconds left on a 4th-and-20 play, Eric Metcalf returned the
ensuing kickoff 46 yards to set the stage for Chris Jacke to kick a
season-best 52-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Cards a
thrilling 16-13 win over the San Diego Chargers.
"On the last kick, I saw it was pretty much straight down the middle,"
said Jacke, a member of the 1996 champion Green Bay Packers. "I
just turned to the sideline and was mobbed."
The win moves the Cardinals (9-7) into the playoffs for the first time
since the strike-shortened 1982 season, when they were located in St.
Louis. The last time the Cards advanced to the playoffs in a non-strike
season was back in 1975.
"You get tired of that longest streak not to make the playoffs," said
Arizona quarterback Jake
Plummer of ending the league's longest current playoff drought. "But we
have a new team and a new attitude."
Arizona will play NFC East champion Dallas Saturday in the wild card
round Saturday. If Arizona had lost today, the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers would
have advanced to the playoffs. The Cardinals, who last enjoyed a winning
season in 1984, have not won a playoff game since 1947.
Jacke, who was signed in early December to replace the injured Joe Nedney, delivered the
game-winning kick for the third straight week. He booted a 32-yarder in
overtime in a 20-17 win at Philadelphia two weeks ago and kicked a
36-yarder as time expired to give the Cards a 19-17 victory over New
Orleans last Sunday. Ironically, Jacke missed a 42-yard field goal attempt
in the fourth quarter which could have given the Cardinals a 16-6 lead with
1:55 remaining.
"After being out of the league for a year I'm happy with what I've
done," said Jacke. "That's what you have to have, the confidence to bounce
back."
"He (Jacke) seems to hit it when it really, really matters," said
Plummer of Jacke's third straight game-winning kick.
Cardinals safety Kwame Lassiter had four interceptions to tie an NFL
record held by numerous players. Lassiter, who is in his first year as a
starter and fourth year overall with the Cards, had a total of four
interceptions in Arizona's first 15 games this season.
"It was just being at the right place at the right time," said
Lassiter of his record day.
Plummer, who signed a four-year contract worth $29.7 million last
Monday, operated without the benefit of an effective running game and
completed 20-of-41 passes for 274 yards. Adrian Murrell was
Arizona's leading rusher with 25 yards on 18 carries.
But despite forcing five turnovers and committing none, the Cards were
unable to shake the Chargers.
San Diego's Craig
Whelihan, who completed 16-of-40 passes for 214 yards and two
touchdowns with four interceptions, marched the Chargers 68 yards in just
1:39 after Jacke's miss from 42 yards. On a 4th-and-3, he kept the drive
alive with a 24-yard pass to Charlie Jones to the
Arizona 37. Two plays later, Whelihan hit Mikhael Ricks with a
17-yard pass.
After Whelihan spiked the ball to stop the clock with 35 seconds left,
Cardinals defensive tackle Mark Smith sacked Whelihan
for a 10-yard loss to the Arizona 30. The Chargers then called their third
and final timeout with 29 seconds left.
Following another incompletion, the Cards were on the verge of
celebrating with the Chargers facing a 4th-and-20 at the Arizona 30 with 22
seconds left. But Whelihan rolled to his right and fired a 30-yard
touchdown to Ryan
Thelwell, who caught the ball between Lassiter and Corey Chavous, to tie the
game at 13-13 with 16 seconds remaining.
"They just snuck one in on us," said Lassiter of the tying touchdown.
"It was a nice throw. It was a skinny post. There were guys on both sides
of me and he was able to squeeze it in there."
But Metcalf, who was part of the package sent to Arizona in the deal
last year which allowed the Chargers to draft quarterback Ryan Leaf, returned the
ensuing kickoff 46 yards to the San Diego 44 with seven seconds left.
On the next play, Plummer drilled a 10-yard pass to Frank Sanders and the
Cards quickly called timeout with three seconds left to set up the winning
field goal.
"I guess seven seconds is too long to leave on the clock for us," said
Plummer. "I knew we had it. I saw what kind of coverage they were playing.
They were playing back, protecting the Hail Mary. Frank hooked up 10 yards
and took a knee and we left it up to Chris Jacke."
Sanders finished with eight catches for 106 yards and topped the NFC
with 89 receptions. Rob
Moore had four catches for 94 yards for Arizona.
"We gave ourselves a chance to win at the end," said Whelihan. "The
pressure was on Jacke to make that kick, but I thought the momentum was our
side if we went to overtime."
Terrell Fletcher rushed for a career-high 127 yards on 23 carries for
the Chargers, who closed the season with five straight losses and finished
5-11.
It was the final game for Chargers interim coach June Jones, who
accepted the coaching job at Hawaii earlier this month.
"It's kind of difficult," said Jones. "We had our chances. We didn't
get it done. You turn the ball over and they get the great play on special
teams which has been our nemesis all year."
Leaf ended a poor rookie season without any action today, despite
Whelihan's four interceptions. San Diego sent Arizona two extra draft
picks, including a first-rounder in 1999, along with Metcalf and linebacker
Patrick Sapp for the
right to move up one spot in the 1998 draft to select Leaf.
The game was played before 71,670, the fourth-largest crowd at Sun
Devil Stadium.
Murrell scored on a nine-yard run with 5:12 left in the first quarter
to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead. However, replays showed that Murrell did
not actually break the plane of the end zone with the ball, but was
credited with a score. The disputed touchdown capped a nine-play, 86-yard
drive. The key play was a 36-yard pass from Plummer to Moore.
Jacke kicked a 37-yard field goal 2:28 into the second quarter to
increase Arizona's lead to 10-0. Plummer hit Sanders three times for 47
yards to key the drive.
John Carney's
31-yard field goal with 3:15 left in the half put the Chargers on the
board.
Arizona capitalized on a turnover when defensive end Simeon Rice recovered a
fumble by Whelihan at the San Diego 27. Six plays later, Jacke kicked a
36-yard field goal to give the Cards a 13-3 lead with 2:57 left in the
third quarter.
But the Chargers rallied with 10 fourth-quarter points to tie the
game. Carney kicked a 26-yard field goal with 9:46 left to pull San Diego
within 13-6.
The Chargers had an opportunity to tie the game when Thelwell beat the
Arizona defensive backs on a deep pass, but had to slow down for an
underthrown 40-yard bomb at the Arizona 7 and bobbled the ball into the
hands of Lassiter, who returned the interception 29 yards with 4:21 left.
"He (Thelwell) should have made the play," said Lassiter of his fourth
interception. "But he bobbled the ball, thinking me or Corey (Chavous)
were going to hit him and it just popped into my hands."
But after the Cardinals drove 39 yards in six plays, Jacke missed wide
right on a 42-yard field goal attempt.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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