- Final0HOU
TEN20
2820
28 - Final1JAC
IND25
2825
28 - Final2SD
KC24
1024
10 - Final3ATL
STL16
2816
28 - Final4NYJ
MIA40
1340
13 - Final5DET
MIN10
4210
42 - Final6SEA
PHI28
2428
24 - Final7BUF
WSH17
1617
16 - Final8SF
CAR14
3114
31 - Final9DEN
OAK20
3420
34 - Final10CLE
ARI21
2721
27 - Final11NYG
CHI21
1621
16 - Final12TB
NO27
2327
23 - Final13CIN
PIT10
2410
24 - Final14GB
DAL27
3727
37 - Final15NE
BAL27
2427
24
Final
Coverage: CBS
4:05 PM ET, December 2, 2007
U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Top Performers
Passing: D. Anderson (CLE) - 304 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: E. James (ARI) - 24 CAR, 114 YDS
Receiving: B. Edwards (CLE) - 7 REC, 149 YDS, 1 TD
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- This time, the mistakes went in favor of Arizona, and so did the final play.
The Cardinals turned three of Cleveland's four turnovers into touchdowns, Edgerrin James topped 100 yards rushing for only the second time this season and the Cardinals held on to beat the Browns 27-21 on Sunday.Kurt Warner threw two touchdown passes and Neil Rackers kicked a pair of late field goals as Arizona (6-6) improved to 3-1 against the AFC North.It's probably no coincidence that Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator the last three years, knows a lot about his old division.Derek Anderson threw for 304 yards and had two touchdown tosses, but was intercepted twice and fumbled the ball away once for the Browns (7-5), who lost for just the second time in seven games.Two of the turnovers came on Cleveland's first two possessions and led to touchdowns that put the Cardinals ahead 14-0.Rod Hood returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown for the first score. On the next possession, Anderson's fumbled snap led to Warner's 5-yard TD pass to Leonard Pope."We turned the ball over, we muffed punts, we had penalties," said coach Romeo Crennel, whose Browns are 2-4 on the road. "We didn't do a good enough job coaching, we didn't do a good enough job playing."The victory helped erase the lingering bitterness from last week's 37-31 overtime loss to San Francisco, a game that ended with Warner's fumble in his own end zone."After last week, this is kind of a cleansing win for us," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "This certainly puts us in the right frame of mind to push forward."James gained 114 yards on 24 carries, getting 38 of the yards on eight attempts during Arizona's drive for the final field goal. He left immediately after the game to fly to Miami for Monday's memorial service for Sean Taylor.The Browns got a controversial 67-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to Braylon Edwards, and a 2-point conversion, to cut the lead to 21-18 on the final play of the third quarter.A pair of late personal foul penalties damaged the Browns' chances for a final comeback.Still, Cleveland drove to the Arizona 37 in the final seconds.On the last play, Anderson threw to the left side of the end zone for Kellen Winslow. The big tight end caught it, but was ruled out of bounds. The ruling was reviewed, then upheld."We've lost five games by three points or less," Hood said, "so I was just praying and hoping they wouldn't overturn this call."Anderson thought it should have been a score."From what I saw, he got one foot in and the guy pushed him out," Anderson said, "but there's nothing we can do about that. It shouldn't have come down to that to begin with."The Cardinals, already playing without Larry Fitzgerald with a groin injury, lost Anquan Boldin, their other standout receiver, to a dislocated toe on his left foot."The one thing I will say is Bryant Johnson stepped up huge today and played a great football game," Warner said. "He made big play after big play. I can't say enough about him with those other two guys not being able to go."Edwards caught seven passes for 149 yards to top 1,000 yards for the season.The fourth Cleveland turnover came in the third quarter when Joshua Cribbs muffed a punt and Ralph Brown recovered for Arizona at the Cleveland 22.The Cardinals scored on a third-down 1-yard pass from Warner to Johnson and went up 21-10 in the third quarter."I've got to look at myself in the mirror," Cribbs said. "We've got to go back at it, read up on our fundamentals and get it done."The Browns literally flipped for their next score.Anderson threw to Edwards, who did a somersault between two Arizona defenders, then ran the remaining 25 yards for a touchdown.The Cardinals challenged, contending Edwards was down on contact by safety Terrence Holt, but the 67-yard touchdown play stood. Cribbs threw to Winslow for the 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 21-18.Steve Breaston returned the subsequent kickoff 59 yards, leading to Rackers' 33-yard field goal with 12:10 to play. Breaston, a rookie out of Michigan, also figured in the final score by Arizona. He caught a 21-yard pass from Warner, then was the recipient of a late hit by Brodney Pool.The drive stalled at the Cleveland 2, and Rackers' 19-yard field goal put the Cardinals up 27-21 with 2:10 to go.Game notes
Pope's five TD catches are the most by a Cardinals tight end for a season since Robert Awalt caught six in 1987. ... Edwards topped 1,000 yards and caught his 12th TD pass of the season. ... Arizona plays at NFC West leader Seattle next Sunday.
SPONSORED HEADLINES
Scouts Buzz
Turnovers cost the Browns the game against the Cardinals. Cleveland QB Derek Anderson, forcing throws into double coverage, threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The other turnover that cost the Browns was committed on special teams. Punt returner Joshua Cribbs muffed the return by tripping over teammate Daven Holly. The ball was recovered by Cardinals gunner Ralph Brown. This was a total lack of communication. The players are taught to yell "you" or "me" to let each other know who is getting the ball. You never want the off returner to touch the ball unless he absolutely has to, and in this case, he didn’t have to. That play set up the Cardinals' offense with great field position, and they scored a TD to extend the lead they wouldn’t surrender.
-- Marwan Maalouf, Scouts Inc.
Team Stat Comparison
Cleveland | Arizona | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 21 | 18 |
3rd down efficiency | 4-11 | 4-12 |
4th down efficiency | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| Total Yards | 379 | 302 |
| Yards per play | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Total Drives | 1 | 2 |
| Passing | 295 | 169 |
Comp-Att | 21-41 | 18-30 |
Yards per pass | 7.2 | 5.6 |
Interceptions thrown | 2 | 1 |
Sacks-Yards Lost | 1-9 | 0-0 |
| Rushing | 84 | 133 |
Rushing Attempts | 21 | 27 |
Yards per rush | 4.0 | 4.9 |
| Penalties | 10-77 | 11-75 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
Fumbles lost | 2 | 0 |
Interceptions thrown | 2 | 1 |
| Possession | 29:57 | 30:03 |
Scoring Summary
| FIRST QUARTER | CLE | ARI | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | TD | 10:45 | Roderick Hood 71 Yd Interception Return (Neil Rackers Kick) | 0 | 7 |
![]() | TD | 04:59 | Leonard Pope 5 Yd Pass From Kurt Warner (Neil Rackers Kick) | 0 | 14 |
![]() | FG | 01:41 | Phil Dawson 37 Yd | 3 | 14 |
| SECOND QUARTER | CLE | ARI | |||
![]() | TD | 01:14 | Jamal Lewis 6 Yd Pass From Derek Anderson (Phil Dawson Kick) | 10 | 14 |
| THIRD QUARTER | CLE | ARI | |||
![]() | TD | 00:43 | Bryant Johnson 1 Yd Pass From Kurt Warner (Neil Rackers Kick) | 10 | 21 |
![]() | TD | 00:00 | Braylon Edwards 67 Yd Pass From Derek Anderson (Josh Cribbs Pass To Kellen Winslow For Two-Point Conversion) | 18 | 21 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | CLE | ARI | |||
![]() | FG | 12:10 | Neil Rackers 33 Yd | 18 | 24 |
![]() | FG | 06:17 | Phil Dawson 22 Yd | 21 | 24 |
![]() | FG | 01:48 | Neil Rackers 19 Yd | 21 | 27 |




