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Seahawks fall to Cardinals in OT

Seattle finishes season 7-9

The Columbian
Published: January 1, 2012, 4:00pm
3 Photos
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, right, makes a reception as he is covered by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, left, during the fourth quarter Sunday.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, right, makes a reception as he is covered by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, left, during the fourth quarter Sunday. Photo Gallery

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals needed a little extra time to wrap up its season victory. Then again, that’s hardly anything new.

Larry Fitzgerald’s spectacular one-handed grab set help up a 28-yard field goal by Jay Feely to give Arizona a 23-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the Cardinals’ fourth overtime victory at home in the last nine weeks of the season.

Arizona (8-8) finished the season 7-2 after a six-game losing streak left it 1-6. Seattle (7-9) had rallied to tie the game after trailing 20-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 149 yards after one reception for 2 yards in the first half. John Skelton completed 22 of 40 for 271 yards and a touchdown with one interception for Arizona. Tarvaris Jackson was 21 of 35 for 222 yards and a touchdown with one pick for the Seahawks.

The Cardinals earlier had overtime victories over St. Louis, Dallas and Cleveland. The Seahawks finished with the same record as a year ago, when 7-9 was good enough to win the NFC West.

Arizona’s Patrick Peterson, who made the Pro Bowl on special teams as a rookie, returned a punt 42 yards to set up a field goal, then blocked Steven Hauschka’s 24-yard field goal attempt. It was the NFL-leading fifth blocked field goal for the Cardinals, two of them by Peterson.

Seattle won the toss heading into overtime, and Leon Washington’s 47-yard kickoff return gave the Seahawks the ball at their own 40, but they failed to move it and had to punt.

Arizona’s game-winning drive started at the 19. On third-and-3 at the 26, Skelton threw over the middle to Fitzgerald, who caught it between two defenders for a 26-yard gain to the Seahawks 48. Skelton’s quarterback sneak on fourth and less than a yard gave Arizona a first down at the Seattle 37.

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Arizona had it second-and-9 at the 36 when Skelton threw toward but not particularly close to Fitzgerald, who somehow gathered in the ball with one hand and cradled it as he fell to the ground. A review confirmed that it was a catch. LaRod Stephens-Howling, filling in for the injured Beanie Wells, rushed three times to the Seattle nine, and Feely’s third field goal of the game gave the Cardinals the win.

Down 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, Seattle tied with a pair of big plays by two rookies, Richard Sherman and Lockette. First, Sherman stepped in front of intended receiver Andre Roberts for an interception that set up a chip shot field goal by Hauschka, then Jackson lofted the long pass to Lockette, who beat cornerback Marshay Green, and it was 20-20 with 7:47 remaining. Green had just been activated from the practice squad on Saturday.

After Washington’s 48-yard touchdown run tied it at 10-10 with 10:56 to go in the third quarter, the Cardinals went 80 yards in eight plays. Skelton was 6 for 6 for 70 yards, capped by a 13-yard TD toss to Todd Heap, the tight end’s first score in an injury-plagued first season with Arizona, putting the Cardinals up 17-10.

Skelton’s 42-yard pass to Fitzgerald led to Feely’s 43-yard field goal that boosted the lead to 20-10 12:18 to play.

Seattle responded, driving from its 20 to the Arizona 6. But the offense stalled, and Peterson broke free from the end to block the short field goal try.

Peterson, who had been slowed in practice all week by a strained Achilles tendon, nearly broke free for what would have been an NFL record fifth punt return for a touchdown. Instead, punter Jon Ryan tripped him up at the Seattle 31. Still, the 42-yard return set up Feely’s 41-yard field goal that put Arizona up 10-3 with 3:28 left in the first half.

Wells was a surprise inactive. He had been listed as questionable but had played through the pain in his left knee through the season.

Kolb missed the final three games of his frustrating first season with Arizona because of a concussion, the result of a knee to the head on the Cardinals’ third play of the game against San Francisco on Dec. 11. He missed four games earlier in the season with a right turf toe injury.

Arizona scored a touchdown in the first quarter for the first time since week two, going 81 yards in nine plays. Chester Taylor scored with a leap over the pile from the 1, the ball crossing the line just before he lost control of it. Stephens-Howling had a career-long 39-yard run in the drive.

The teams traded turnovers in the second quarter. Arizona rookie tight end Rob Housler fumbled near midfield and Seattle’s K.J. Knight returned it 30 yards to the Cardinals 20. But after Arizona’s third sack of the game, Jackson’s toss over the middle was intercepted by Richard Marshall, who returned it 49 yards to the Seahawks 38. David Hawthorne’s sack of John Skelton pushed Arizona out of field goal range.

CARDINALS 23, SEAHAWKS 20, OT

Seattle 0 3 7 10 0 –20

Arizona 7 3 7 3 3 –23

First Quarter

Ari–Taylor 1 run (Feely kick), 3:02. Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 4:37. Key Plays: Skelton 6 run on 3rd-and-3; Stephens-Howling 39 run; Skelton 22 pass to Heap on 3rd-and-5. Arizona 7, Seattle 0.

Second Quarter

Sea–FG Hauschka 43, 12:10. Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 5:52. Key Plays: Washington 15 run on 3rd-and-2; Jackson 10 pass to Baldwin on 3rd-and-7; Adams 5-yard illegal use of hands penalty on 3rd-and-22; Jackson 23 pass to Tate. Arizona 7, Seattle 3.

Ari–FG Feely 41, 3:28. Drive: 7 plays, 8 yards, 3:14. Key Plays: Peterson 42 punt return to Seattle 31; Skelton 8 pass to Roberts on 3rd-and-6; Browner 10-yard personal foul penalty. Arizona 10, Seattle 3.

Third Quarter

Sea–Washington 48 run (Hauschka kick), 10:56. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 1:22. Key Play: Lenon 15-yard personal foul penalty. Seattle 10, Arizona 10.

Ari–Heap 13 pass from Skelton (Feely kick), 6:18. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:38. Key Plays: Skelton 22 pass to Fitzgerald; Skelton 13 pass to Fitzgerald; Skelton 11 pass to Sherman. Arizona 17, Seattle 10.

Fourth Quarter

Ari–FG Feely 43, 12:18. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 2:54. Key Plays: Blocked field goal at Arizona 20; Skelton 41 pass to Fitzgerald on 3rd-and-9; Sherman 15-yard personal foul penalty. Arizona 20, Seattle 10.

Sea–FG Hauschka 26, 9:05. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 0:59. Key Play: Sherman 33 interception return to Arizona 12. Arizona 20, Seattle 13.

Sea–Lockette 61 pass from Jackson (Hauschka kick), 7:47. Drive: 1 play, 61 yards, 0:09. Seattle 20, Arizona 20.

Overtime

Ari–FG Feely 28, 5:49. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 8:06. Key Plays: Skelton 26 pass to Fitzgerald on 3rd-and-3; Skelton 2 run on 4th-and-1; Skelton 12 pass to Fitzgerald. Arizona 23, Seattle 20.

A–61,798.

——

Sea Ari

FIRST DOWNS 19 20

Rushing 7 7

Passing 8 11

Penalty 4 2

THIRD DOWN EFF 3-16 7-17

FOURTH DOWN EFF 0-0 1-1

TOTAL NET YARDS 369 388

Total Plays 73 73

Avg Gain 5.1 5.3

NET YARDS RUSHING 178 131

Rushes 34 31

Avg per rush 5.2 4.2

NET YARDS PASSING 191 257

Sacked-Yds lost 4-31 2-14

Gross-Yds passing 222 271

Completed-Att. 21-35 22-40

Had Intercepted 1 1

Yards-Pass Play 4.9 6.1

KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB 5-5-2 6-6-4

PUNTS-Avg. 8-44.6 7-46.3

Punts blocked 0 0

FGs-PATs blocked 1-0 0-0

TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE 159 196

Punt Returns 5-42 4-63

Kickoff Returns 2-84 3-84

Interceptions 1-33 1-49

PENALTIES-Yds 7-55 9-76

FUMBLES-Lost 1-0 1-1

TIME OF POSSESSION 33:42 35:19

——

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Seattle, Lynch 19-86, Washington 7-78, Forsett 6-16, Jackson 1-3, Tate 1-(minus 5). Arizona, Stephens-Howling 21-93, Skelton 5-19, Taylor 3-8, Roberts 1-8, Sherman 1-3.

PASSING–Seattle, Jackson 21-35-1-222. Arizona, Skelton 22-40-1-271.

RECEIVING–Seattle, Tate 5-46, Baldwin 3-40, Obomanu 3-37, Forsett 3-(minus 4), Washington 2-12, Lynch 2-5, Lockette 1-61, Morrah 1-14, Butler 1-11. Arizona, Fitzgerald 9-149, Roberts 4-24, Heap 2-35, Housler 2-27, King 2-12, Sherman 1-11, Doucet 1-7, Taylor 1-6.

PUNT RETURNS–Seattle, Washington 4-42, Tate 1-0. Arizona, Peterson 4-63.

KICKOFF RETURNS–Seattle, Washington 2-84. Arizona, Jefferson 3-84.

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS–Seattle, Hawthorne 9-4-1, Chancellor 6-2-0, Sherman 6-0-0, Bryant 5-1-0, Thomas 3-3-0, Clemons 3-2-0, Hill 3-1-0, Wright 3-1-0, McDonald 3-0-0, Farwell 2-1-0, Branch 2-0-1, Browner 2-0-0, Lewis 2-0-0, Mebane 2-0-0, Morrah 1-0-0, Ryan 1-0-0, Bigby 0-1-0. Arizona, Washington 11-0-1, Marshall 7-0-0, Adams 6-0-0, Lenon 5-1-0, Dockett 5-0-1, Holliday 5-0-0, Peterson 4-0-0, Acho 3-0-1, Johnson 2-1-0, Wilson 2-1-0, Haggans 2-0-1, Bradley 2-0-0, Jefferson 2-0-0, Schofield 2-0-0, Sherman 2-0-0, Campbell 1-0-0, Carter 1-0-0, Colledge 1-0-0, Green 1-0-0, Stephens-Howling 1-0-0, Abdullah 0-1-0, Considine 0-1-0, Walker 0-1-0.

INTERCEPTIONS–Seattle, Sherman 1-33. Arizona, Marshall 1-49.

MISSED FIELD GOALS–Seattle, Hauschka 24 (BK).

——

OFFICIALS–Referee Gene Steratore, Ump Bill Schuster, HL Wayne Mackie, LJ Ron Marinucci, FJ Bob Waggoner, SJ Mike Weatherford, BJ Dino Paganelli, Replay Paul Weidner.

Time: 3:30.

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