Post by End Zone on Oct 29, 2021 3:45:48 GMT -7
Yes it was a great game at TNF, but not the game I thought it was going to be and a game that I desperately wanted. A victory.
The Arizona Cardinals team stood at the threshold of two doors on the TNF national stage last night, Door #1 - Immortality, and Door #2 - Notoriety. Which door would they choose? Through which would they pass after the last play? I did not know. But fate, a boogey man to longtime Arizona fans, knows everything. The boogey man chose door ....
Late in the 4th quarter, Cardinals fate hangs in the balance in a tight game. The Packers are up by 3 points, 24-21, with just 14 seconds left on the clock. The Cardinals have just driven 94 yards in less than 2 minutes. Wow. Alas, an 8th victory is in sight! 11 Cardinals players lined up at the Packers 3-yard line for 1 more play, and if the low-risk play called by the HC is not successful, the FG kicker will attempt a 3-point kick and send the game into OT. The FG kicker is very accurate.
QB Murray lines up in shotgun formation. Receivers are widely spaced to spread out the defenders. The odds of a TD happening now is probably 50-75% on this play. Murray's completion rate is above 73%. Murray tells everyone to do their job one more time. Here we go.
However, 1 of 11 Cardinals on the field doesn't know what he's supposed to do on this critical offensive play. He's a long-time veteran WR, signed as a Free Agent in the off-season. He's got a reputation that includes a couple years of Pro-Bowl caliber performances playing for the Cincinnati Bengals (sometime derided as the Bungles), and catching footballs from mostly no-name QBs. He's about to become a hero. For the Green Bay Packers.
Per play design, WR A J Green runs forward about 5 yards into the end zone, stops, and faces the defender CB Douglas. Murray sees the WR Green's opening, zips a back-shoulder pass at the WR, who then for some unknown reason at the time, does not turn to his right for an easy back-shoulder catch and TD. Instead, Green continues facing away from the QB, like a run blocker will do, and is completely oblivious to what is going on behind him. The defender bats at the passed ball, tips it into the air, and makes an amazingly easy and stunning INT--his first in the NFL since 2019, and then steps out of bounds. All this action is done behind Green's head and back. As Green swivels around to his left and in the wrong direction, he is shocked to see the Packers players congratulating Douglas, and he hears the 1000s fans howling with glee. And just like that, fate--uh the boogey man--delivers the victory to the Packers.
The Cardinals stumbled through Door #2 after TNF and are in familiar territory again. Notoriety is a place that fits this team very well judging from its dark history (574–780–41) and strange acts.
For the record book, the Packers have defeated the Cardinals 46 times, losing just 26 games, and tying 4 games. Last night's Packers win did not make up for the previous 3 losses to the Cardinals but it sure did go a long way toward salving old wounds from 2015.
Have a great day, Cardinals fans. I'm turning the page on the first 8 games. The second regular season starts right now.
The Arizona Cardinals team stood at the threshold of two doors on the TNF national stage last night, Door #1 - Immortality, and Door #2 - Notoriety. Which door would they choose? Through which would they pass after the last play? I did not know. But fate, a boogey man to longtime Arizona fans, knows everything. The boogey man chose door ....
Late in the 4th quarter, Cardinals fate hangs in the balance in a tight game. The Packers are up by 3 points, 24-21, with just 14 seconds left on the clock. The Cardinals have just driven 94 yards in less than 2 minutes. Wow. Alas, an 8th victory is in sight! 11 Cardinals players lined up at the Packers 3-yard line for 1 more play, and if the low-risk play called by the HC is not successful, the FG kicker will attempt a 3-point kick and send the game into OT. The FG kicker is very accurate.
QB Murray lines up in shotgun formation. Receivers are widely spaced to spread out the defenders. The odds of a TD happening now is probably 50-75% on this play. Murray's completion rate is above 73%. Murray tells everyone to do their job one more time. Here we go.
However, 1 of 11 Cardinals on the field doesn't know what he's supposed to do on this critical offensive play. He's a long-time veteran WR, signed as a Free Agent in the off-season. He's got a reputation that includes a couple years of Pro-Bowl caliber performances playing for the Cincinnati Bengals (sometime derided as the Bungles), and catching footballs from mostly no-name QBs. He's about to become a hero. For the Green Bay Packers.
Per play design, WR A J Green runs forward about 5 yards into the end zone, stops, and faces the defender CB Douglas. Murray sees the WR Green's opening, zips a back-shoulder pass at the WR, who then for some unknown reason at the time, does not turn to his right for an easy back-shoulder catch and TD. Instead, Green continues facing away from the QB, like a run blocker will do, and is completely oblivious to what is going on behind him. The defender bats at the passed ball, tips it into the air, and makes an amazingly easy and stunning INT--his first in the NFL since 2019, and then steps out of bounds. All this action is done behind Green's head and back. As Green swivels around to his left and in the wrong direction, he is shocked to see the Packers players congratulating Douglas, and he hears the 1000s fans howling with glee. And just like that, fate--uh the boogey man--delivers the victory to the Packers.
The Cardinals stumbled through Door #2 after TNF and are in familiar territory again. Notoriety is a place that fits this team very well judging from its dark history (574–780–41) and strange acts.
For the record book, the Packers have defeated the Cardinals 46 times, losing just 26 games, and tying 4 games. Last night's Packers win did not make up for the previous 3 losses to the Cardinals but it sure did go a long way toward salving old wounds from 2015.
Have a great day, Cardinals fans. I'm turning the page on the first 8 games. The second regular season starts right now.