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 Kurt Warner produced three touchdowns, one in his typical relief role and two more after Matt Leinart was sidelined by a broken left collarbone, and Rod Hood returned an off-target pass by Gus Frerotte 68 yards for an easy go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter of the Arizona Cardinals' 34-31 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
Warner and Edgerrin James scored controversial touchdowns on short runs, helping the Cardinals (3-2) win for the third straight season in their former home base.
Frerotte made his first start since the end of 2005 in place of Marc Bulger, who has two broken ribs, and threw three touchdown passes for the winless Rams (0-5). That doubled the meager season touchdown output for a struggling offense that had only four opening-day starters in their usual spots and went 32 drives without a touchdown before Frerotte's 16-yard TD pass to Drew Bennett on the first play of the second quarter.
But Frerotte also threw three interceptions and his gaffe on a pass intended for Randy McMichael led to Hood's jaunt with 13:47 to go. Another pick by Al Wilson on a leaping deflection that he gathered in and returned 20 yards led to a clinching 7-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with 3:11 to go that made it 34-23.
The Rams made it a three-point game on an 11-yard pass from Frerotte to McMichael with 13 seconds to go, followed by a conversion pass to Torry Holt. Fitzgerald, who caught nine passes for 136 yards to offset the absence of injured Anquan Boldin, recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Fakhir Brown had two interceptions in his season debut for St. Louis after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, one of them in the end zone to thwart an Arizona scoring chance. Rookie Brian Leonard, subbing for injured Steven Jackson the second straight week, had 102 yards on 18 carries
The game was only the second to be blacked out on local TV since the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, although the 2006 home finale was blacked out. Announced attendance of 61,788 was about four thousand shy of capacity, with the empty seats likely at least doubling that total.
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The Rams are 0-5 for the second time this decade, also beginning 2002 with a Super Bowl hangover after a last-second loss to the Patriots.
Warner got a noisy ovation from fans, many of them standing in appreciation for the quarterback who won two MVP awards and helped the franchise win its only Super Bowl in 2000.
The second half was his show, with Leinart standing on the sideline in T-shirt, shorts and his left arm in a sling. After the game, coach Ken Whisenhunt said Leinart would be out indefinitely with a broken collarbone.
"We don't know how long it's going to be," Whisenhunt said. "But it's going to be for an extended period of time."
Both of the Cardinals' second-quarter scoring drives came on disputed plays.
Warner closed the half with a 1-yard sneak for a 17-13 lead, a bonus play after the clock had expired. Officials ruled a defender kicked the ball as the Cardinals hurriedly lined up for another play after James was stopped short on first-and-goal from the 1 on a play that began with 14 seconds to go.
James scored on a 5-yard run, lunging with the ball in one hand and fumbling into the end zone after apparently getting stopped a yard short. Officials first ruled Cardinals lineman Reggie Wells had recovered a fumble in the end zone, wresting it away from St. Louis cornerback Jonathan Wade.
Rams coach Scott Linehan challenged the play, which was later reversed to a James touchdown.
[Associated Press;
by R.B. Fallstrom]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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