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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Jake Plummer the miracle worker is back.
Plummer, ineffective nearly all afternoon in his return to the
Arizona starting lineup, directed the Cardinals to two touchdowns
in the final 4:31 as they rallied to beat Philadelphia 21-17 Sunday
for their fourth victory in a row, their longest winning streak
since 1988.
|  | | Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer scores the winning touchdown despite the efforts of Philadelphia's Troy Vincent. Arizona's L.J. Shelton blocks for Plummer. |
"The guy just has great resilience," Frank Sanders said. "The
guy just won't quit."
Sanders' diving catch of Plummer's 38-yard pass just inches from
the goal line set up Plummer's 1-yard sneak for the winning
touchdown with 57 seconds to play. The officials reviewed the play
to make sure Sanders was inbounds, and the catch was upheld.
"It's one of those balls where it's him or nobody. He's got a
burst to the ball like nobody I've seen and he made a great
catch," Plummer said. "I could take credit for the throw, but
somebody has got to be there to catch it."
Arizona (6-6) moved within a game of first place in the NFC East
going into next week's game at Washington.
Plummer, starting for the first time since breaking a finger on
his passing hand Oct. 17, has rallied Arizona to victory 11 times
when the Cardinals trailed or were tied in the fourth quarter. The
last two comebacks came this season against Philadelphia. The
Eagles lost to Arizona 25-24 in the season opener on Chris Jacke's
31-yard field goal as the game ended.
In his final two drives, Plummer completed 12 of 19 passes for
126 yards. Before that, he was 8-for-18 for 53 yards.
"Eventually, after playing so terribly for enough of a game,
you get sick of it, and I flip the switch myself usually and say
'Let's go,' " Plummer said. "The guys around me, they believe in
me, and without our defense, I'm not doing this in the fourth
quarter."
At least four Eagles defenders dropped Plummer's passes for what
should have been interceptions, the last one by Ike Reese just
before the big pass to Sanders.
"If we get it," Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said, "the
game's over."
The two scoring drives marked the first times Arizona had been
past midfield since its opening series. The Cards managed just 54
yards rushing against a defense ranked 30th in the NFL against the
run.
The Cardinals went 80 yards in 16 plays to cut the lead to 17-14
on Plummer's 3-yard pass to a leaping David Boston with 4:31 to
play. Arizona stopped the Eagles (3-10) on their next possession
and took over at its 31.
Arizona drove to the Philadelphia 39 and, on third-and-10,
Plummer scrambled to his right and appeared to be able to run for a
first down and put his team in range for a game-tying field goal.
Instead, he heaved a perfect pass to Sanders, who caught it as he
was diving out of bounds at the goal line.
"You know me," Plummer said. "I'm not high percentage."
He said he couldn't have made that throw early in the season
when he was bothered by a sore thumb.
The Cardinals other touchdown came in the first quarter on
Kwamie Lassiter's 78-yard interception return, their longest in 20
years.
Before Plummer's heroics, he had been outplayed by the Eagles'
Donovan McNabb, who threw two second-quarter touchdown passes and
frustrated Arizona with his scrambling.
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GAME NOTES |
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The Cardinals have beaten four consecutive NFC East
opponents for the first time since 1984.
The Cards swept the Eagles and New York Giants for the first time since 1976.
Cardinals coach Vince Tobin is 10-6 all-time at home against the NFC East.
Jake Plummer said Donovan McNabb scrambles "like nobody I've ever seen."
In Philadelphia's five NFC East losses, two were in overtime and two were by one point before this one, by four.
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McNabb completed 19 of 31 passes for 157 yards. He also rushed
for 67 yards in nine carries.
"The positive thing was we were moving the ball, had some good
drives, but we've got to seal the deal," McNabb said.
Philadelphia's Duce Staley rushed for 72 yards in 25 carries to
pass the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season.
Leading 7-0, Arizona went for it on fourth-and-inches from its
own 31, and Plummer didn't make it on a quarterback sneak with
10:30 left in the second quarter. The Eagles needed just four plays
to tie it, McNabb hitting tight end Chad Lewis to make it 7-7.
"It's one of those decisions you make that when it doesn't work
you wish you hadn't made it," Arizona coach Vince Tobin said. "I
still think that sometimes you have to go a little against the
book."
Philadelphia took the lead 14-7 with an 11-play, 75-yard drive
that consumed 5:11 late in the first half. McNabb's 29-yard
touchdown pass to Dameane Douglas' was Douglas' first scoring
reception of his career.
Sanders' fumble early in the third quarter set up Norm Johnson's
29-yard field goal that made it 17-7.
Arizona went up 7-0 when McNabb's pass to Torrance Small was
deflected by cornerback Aeneas Williams. Lassiter grabbed it with
one hand and raced down the sidelines in the Cardinals' longest
interception return since 1979.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Arizona Clubhouse
Week 13 wrap-ups
Week 13 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 13
PrimeTime Players
Week 13 stats leaders
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