Baltimore Ravens vs Arizona Cardinals (9/23/07)



add to site add to site add to site add to site

add to site add to site add to site add to site

Going into this football game, there was a small quarterback controversy for the Ravens. Steve McNair was nursing a sore groin, and Kyle Boller did a good job against the Jets. Who knew that at the end of this game, both teams would have quarterback controversies.

The Ravens started Steve McNair. McNair didn’t commit turnovers like he did in week one, and the Ravens jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. The Ravens always settle for field goals, so maybe all was not well with Steve McNair. The Ravens defense though made life tough for Matt Leinart. The Cardinals offense couldn’t get much going, and Edgerrin James was held in check for this game. As the Cardinals were struggling, the Ravens added another field goal. It seemed like this football game was going to be a low scoring and dull affair.

Ken Whisenhunt made a strange move. He put Kurt Warner in the game. Leinart wasn’t playing well, but he wasn’t playing awful either. Either way, the move seemed to liven up the Cardinals, because they started running the no huddle offense and Kurt Warner was making big plays. The drive resulted in a field goal, but the Cardinals had cracked the code. The Ravens aren’t good against no huddle offenses. Steve McNair ran a more steady offense, and the Cardinals defense could not stop the Ravens. Steve McNair threw a 13 yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason.

Matt Leinart came back onto the field, and the Cardinals were forced to punt. The Ravens scored when Yamon Figurs had a 75 yard touchdown return. It seemed like lights out for the Cardinals. Matt Leinart tried running the no huddle offense, and got the Cardinals in field goal range, but Neil Rackers missed a 47 yard field goal.

The alternating quarterbacks strategy was a weird move by Whisenhunt. What it did was throw off the Ravens. In the 3rd quarter, Matt Leinart got the Cardinals in field goal range, and this time Rackers made it. The Cardinals then did an onsides kick and recovered. Kurt Warner was back on the field, and hit Larry Fitzgerald for a 27 yard gain, but Fitzgerald fumbled and the Ravens recovered. The Ravens turned that turnover into 3 points.

Kurt Warner stay in the game, and the Cardinals was making a wild comeback. Kurt Warner hit his favorite target Anquan Boldin for a 5 yard touchdown. The Ravens put Kyle Boller in the game. Maybe McNair was hurt, I don’t know. What is with the bullpen quarterbacks? The Ravens were forced to punt, but the punt was deflected. The Cardinals took advantage of the great field position, and scored when Warner hit Boldin for a 32 yard touchdown. The Ravens could not stop Anquan Boldin. Boldin had 14 catches, for 181 yards and two touchdowns. When do the Ravens give up those kind of numbers?

After another Ravens punt, the Cardinals were on the verge of tying this football game. Kurt Warner got the Cardinals to the Ravens 23 yard line, but they could not get a first down, so Neil Rackers marched out, and made the a 41 yard field goal to tie the game. The Ravens still had a lot of time, and Kyle Boller was fresh. The biggest play of the drive was a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Adrian Wilson. The Ravens were able to get inside the 30, and Matt Stover came out, and kicked a 46 yard field goal game winning field goal. The Ravens win 26-23.

Now both of these teams have to figure out their quarterback situations.