Cardinals defeat Cowboys 30-24 in OT on blocked punt
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Sean Morey
blocked Mat McBriar’s punt and
Monty Beisel scooped up the ball
and scored from 3 yards to give
the Arizona Cardinals a crazy
30-24 overtime victory over the
Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Morey rushed untouched off the
left side of the Dallas line to
block the kick. Beisel, a backup
linebacker, picked up the ball
at about the 3 and bowled over
the goal line.
The stunning play by two of
Arizona’s most unheralded
players brought a conclusion to
a game loaded with confusion,
controversy and clutch
performances.
Dallas scored 10 points in the
final 2 minutes of regulation,
sending the game into overtime
when Nick Folk’s 52-yard field
goal barely cleared the crossbar
as the fourth quarter ended.
Folk was in field-goal range
only because a 5-yard offside
penalty was called against
injured Arizona linebacker
Travis LaBoy as he tried to limp
off the field. That moved the
ball from the 40 to the 35.
That was just one of the weird
moments in Arizona’s sixth
consecutive home victory...more
Cardinals Top Cowboys, 30-24, In OT
Scoring Summary
DAL - ARI
1st Quarter
14:45
ARI
TD
DAL kicked off, J.J. Arrington returned kickoff for 93
yards (Neil Rackers made PAT)
0 - 7
2nd Quarter
0:59
DAL
TD
Tony Romo passed to Patrick Crayton down the middle for
55 yard gain (Nick Folk made PAT)
7 - 7
3rd Quarter
8:11
DAL
TD
Tony Romo passed to Miles Austin to the left for 14 yard
gain (Nick Folk made PAT)
14 - 7
3:21
ARI
TD
Kurt Warner passed to Larry Fitzgerald to the right for
2 yard gain (Neil Rackers made PAT)
14 - 14
4th Quarter
10:44
ARI
TD
Kurt Warner passed to Steve Breaston to the left for 11
yard gain (Neil Rackers made PAT)
14 - 21
3:17
ARI
FG
Neil Rackers kicked a 41-yard field goal
14 - 24
2:00
DAL
TD
Tony Romo passed to Marion Barber to the left for 70
yard gain (Nick Folk made PAT)
21 - 24
0:00
DAL
FG
Nick Folk kicked a 52-yard field goal
24 - 24
OT
14:00
ARI
TD
ARI blocked punt attempt by Mat McBriar. Monty Beisel
returned for 3 yards
24 - 30
Team Statistics
DAL
ARI
First Downs
15
14
Passing
11
11
Rushing
4
3
Penalty
0
0
Third Down Efficiency
6-15
5-12
Fourth Down Efficiency
0-0
0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS
374
276
Total Plays
64
50
Average Gain Per Play
5.8
5.5
NET YARDS RUSHING
73
50
Rushes
22
19
Average Per Rush
3.3
2.6
NET YARDS PASSING
301
226
Completions-Attempts
24-39
22-30
Yards Per Pass Play
7.2
7.3
Times Sacked
3
1
Yards Lost to Sacks
20
10
Had Intercepted
0
1
PUNTS
7
5
Average Punt
47.9
43.0
PENALTIES
12
12
Penalty Yards
93
70
FUMBLES
4
2
Fumbles Lost
1
2
TIME OF POSSESSION
33:15
27:45
Pregame Previews, Storylines,
and News
Preview:
The Dallas Cowboys entered the season as the favorites to win
the NFC East, but it looks like they could get more competition than they
anticipated in perhaps the league's toughest division.
Though the Arizona Cardinals didn't come into 2008 with such lofty expectations,
they've emerged as a leading contender in the weaker NFC West.
In a matchup between the conference's two highest-scoring teams, the Cowboys
look to make a move in the loaded East standings on Sunday when they visit the
Cardinals, who hope to protect their hold on first place in the West.
Dallas returned enough of its core from last year's division-winning team to
enter 2008 as a prime candidate to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The
Cowboys (4-1) are still on track thanks to their conference-leading 151 points,
but they're not taking anything for granted in the league's only division with
more than one team with at least four wins...
COWBOYS: The
Cowboys must not give up the big play on defense and must find some
rhythm on offense. That means getting WR Terrell Owens involved in the
offense and continuing to use RB Felix Jones as a change-of-pace back
with the bulldozing Marion Barber. Defensively, Dallas needs to get
pressure on the quarterback to help its depleted secondary...FULL
STORY
CARDINALS:
Offensively, the Cardinals need to show the explosiveness and balance
they had last week. The Cowboys have some injuries in the secondary, so
it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Cardinals spread the field with
receivers. That also helps the running game, because the Cardinals like
to run the draw play out of that formation. Defensively, the Cardinals
need to emphasize stopping the big play. They have to make the Cowboys
work for everything...FULL
STORY
Arizona has defeated
Dallas four of the last five times the two teams have met in the desert
Dallas has scored 20 points on its first
possessions of the game this season, most among all teams in the league.
Arizona is tied for second on that list with 17 points in its first
possessions
10.2
8.4