Missed FGs leave Cardinals, Seahawks with tie
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[October 24, 2016]
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In a game
featuring two blocked kicks and missed field goals that would have
won the game for both teams on what essentially were chip shots, the
Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks wound up settling for a 6-6
tie Sunday night at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro had a chance to win the game
with a second field goal in overtime, but his 24-yard attempt with
3:19 remaining bounced off the left upright.
The Seahawks took over, and after two long pass plays from Russell
Wilson to Doug Baldwin, Seattle kicker Steven Hauschka shanked a
28-yard field goal wide left with seven seconds left to play in the
extra period.
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer completed a pass to Larry
Fitzgerald on the next play, but his last-ditch Hail Mary attempt to
Fitzgerald with no time left on the clock fell incomplete.
The Cardinals (3-3-1) played to a tie for the first time since Dec.
7, 1986, when they settled for a 10-10 draw at the Philadelphia
Eagles. The Seahawks (4-1-1) played the first tie game in franchise
history.
"It's two good defenses and two good football teams," Cardinals
coach Bruce Arians said. "Hopefully, this one doesn't come back to
haunt us down the road. Hopefully, sometimes a tie can help you. I'd
sure rather have the win."
He would have had it, too, had Catanzaro not missed his 24-yard
attempt. Asked what he told Catanzaro after the game, Arians said
this: "Make it. He's a professional. This ain't high school. You get
paid to make it."
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Catanzaro connected on a 45-yard field goal with 11:23 left in
overtime, but the Cardinals' defense, which pressured Wilson
continuously and kept the Seattle offense in check, couldn't stop
the Seahawks from tying it up and extending play.
Hauschka evened the score 6-6 on a 36-yard field goal with 6:42 left
in OT.
Arizona thought it had things locked up after Palmer connected on a
pass plays of 27 yards to tight end Ifeanyi Momah and 40 yards to
receiver J.J. Nelson. Instead of kicking the game-winner right away,
Arians elected to go for the touchdown by running David Johnson, who
ripped off his third consecutive 100-plus yard rushing performance.
Johnson, who finished with 113 yards on a career-high 33 carries,
was stopped just short of the end zone on two rushing attempts, one
of which moved the pylon at the edge of the end zone.
"When the pylon gets kicked, it's normally a touchdown," Arians
said.
Then, Catanzaro came on and clunked his attempt off the post.
As for Hauschka's miss near the end, Seattle teammates had their
kicker's back.
"Hauschka is still money in my eyes," Seahawks receiver Jermaine
Kearse said. "It happens. We're a team. We're in this together no
matter what happens, and that's just how it is."
Palmer finished 29 of 49 for 342 yards with no interceptions. Wilson
was 24 of 37 for 225 yards with no interceptions.
Arizona had nearly a 20-minute edge in time of possession overall --
46:19 to 28:39. The Cardinals outgained the Seahawks in total yards
443-257.
"It was a battle," Palmer said. "It was what you expect for the most
part as far as trading blow for blow and really just a fist fight
all game long. I just hate that it ended that way with the way our
defense and offensive line played. That's a great team, and to end
it that way, it hurts."
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The Seahawks, who earlier in the game blocked a Cardinals field-goal
attempt when linebacker Bobby Wagner hurdled the offensive line and
leaped into the air to knock the football down, used another block
on special teams to help them tie the score at 3.
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![](../images/102416pics/sports69.jpg)
Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) gestures to the crowd
during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at University of
Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
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This time, it came during a punt by the Cardinals' Ryan Quigley.
Just as he booted the kick, Seattle's Tanner McEvoy flew in high to
bat it down. The ball was recovered at the Arizona 22-yard line by
Seahawks defensive lineman Cassius Marsh.
Four plays later, Hauschka drilled a 40-yard field goal right down
the middle to make it 3-3.
The Seahawks might have outscored the Cardinals 105-34 in their last
three visits to Arizona, but they didn't resemble that same club in
the first half on Sunday night.
In keeping Seattle off the scoreboard through the first two quarters
of play, the Cardinals outgained the Seahawks 174-47 in total yards,
dominated them in first downs, 12-2, and completely owned them in
time of possession, 22:20-7:40.
All the Cardinals could get out of that, however, was a 46-yard
field goal from Catanzaro to take a 3-0 lead heading into the locker
room.
It was another in a series of long scoring drives for Arizona,
however. Catanzaro's kick capped a 14-play drive covering 53 yards
that lasted eight minutes, 24 seconds. The Cardinals entered the
game having totaled 12 drives of 11 plays or longer -- just three
fewer than they had all of last season, when they set numerous
franchise records on offense.
Wagner might have set a record, meanwhile, for most clicks of a
highlight reel when he made a Superman-like move to block an earlier
Catanzaro field-goal try from 39 yards.
Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Wagner perfectly
timed the snap from Aaron Brewer to holder Quigley and in a flash,
hurdled his way over Brewer and then in a single bound, leapt high
into the air to block Catanzaro's kick.
Wagner brushed Brewer's back with his left foot while leap-frogging
over the long snapper, but it was incidental contact and not a foul.
The Cardinals tried to challenge it, but since it wasn't a
reviewable play, Arizona lost a timeout in addition to a chance at
three points.
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"I've just seen him really low," Wagner said of Brewer. "It's
something we've seen on film. He's really low and I felt like I
could jump over him, so I tried and it was a success."
NOTES: Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald extended his streak of consecutive
games with at least one catch to 186 games, which ties Hines Ward
for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history. Also with his first
catch on Sunday night, Fitzgerald moved ahead of Henry Ellard
(13,777 career receiving yards) for 13th place on the NFL's all-time
receiving yards list. ... For a second straight week, the Seahawks
were forced to play without Kam Chancellor, their four-time Pro Bowl
safety, because of a groin injury. Kelcie McCray once again started
in his place. ... Cardinals WR John Brown, who was diagnosed with
sickle-cell trait late last week, was inactive Sunday night. He is
been dealing with pain in his legs, which the team believes is
caused by the blood disorder.
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