Heartbreak hath no equal
February 2, 2009
It’s taking me a while to come to grips with the Cardinals heartbreaking last second loss to the Steelers in Superbowl XLIII. I will complete this post once it’s all sunk in a little more… but right now, I need some time.
Superbowl XLIII: Sunday, February 1, 2009, 6:28 PM ET
Steelers 27, 
Cardinals 23
Big Ben drives Steelers to Superbowl XLIII win
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
Postgame Interviews: Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
What’s up with THAT, Whisenhunt?
September 21, 2008
Penalties, turnovers, and a stupid punt with 2:37 left in regulation leads to a 17-24 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt has the Cardinals headed in the right direction, but Whisenhunt lost his way with an inexplicable decision to punt on 4th and 4 from the Arizona 42 yard line with 2:37 left in regulation. Coming on the heels of a clock-eating 6:32 drive by the Redskins, the call just didn’t make any sense. Oh sure, 6 costly penalties and 2 turnovers by the Cardinals ultimately caused the 17-24 loss, but there’s no more surefire way to kill a comeback than to give the other team the ball with less than 3 minutes to go.
Full video highlights on NFL.com here.
What went wrong:
* Turnovers - Edgerrin James fumbled in the first half and Kurt Warner was intercepted off a tipped ball, leading to 10 Redskins points. Defensively, the Cardinals were unable to pressure Jason Campbell into mistakes, or cause any momentum changing turnovers.
* No Defensive Stops - the Cardinals held Clinton Portis to 68 yards on 21 carries (3.2 yard avg) and 1 TD, but couldn’t stop Washington when they needed it most. Campbell had plenty of time in the pocket, and frustrated the Cardinals with a 73.3 completion % to seven different receivers, utilizing WRs (11-105-TD) and TEs (9-76-TD) almost equally.
* Offensive Predictability - Kurt Warner held the ball to long, Washington sat back in a zone, and the offense never looked explosive, despite a 62-yard TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald and a nifty 18-yard pass from WR Jerheme Urban to RB Tim Hightower to setup a short TD pass to Anquan Boldin.
Category: 2008 Season, Game Results | Tags: Anquan Boldin, Edgerrin James, Jerheme Urban, Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Losses, Tim Hightower