Last week was supposed to be a turning point for the Arizona Cardinals.
After a dismal season last year of six wins against 10 losses—which was actually an improvement over their marks of 4-12 and 5-11 the previous two years—2005 brought much optimism for Arizona. This year's Cards came with a little shuffling, namely new coach Dennis Green, and a new quarterback, former two-time league most valuable player Kurt Warner.
Many expect Arizona to contend in the NFC West. After laying an egg in the season opener against the Giants, Warner's previous team, Arizona needed a home win against the St. Louis Rams, the team with which Warner won a Super Bowl six seasons ago.
The Cardinals struggled to find the end zone, but managed a field goal in every quarter and with 1:53 remaining, Arizona trailed by a 17-12 score. Warner led the team on a possible game-winning drive—six plays, six completions—and they were just five yards away from a game-winning touchdown.
After all, there were still 27 seconds left. Sure, the Cards were out of timeouts, but as long as Warner didn't do anything silly, like, oh, say, getting sacked instead of throwing the ball away, Arizona should easily have had four plays.
But instead of obeying one of the Cardinal rules of late-game quarterbacking, Warner committed a Cardinal sin, getting tackled in the backfield. The clock was running. The offense was panicking. The crowd was surprisingly calm, though. They've been watching this kinda thing for years.
Still, though, there was plenty of time for Arizona to regroup, intentionally spike the ball on second down, and take two more shots at the end zone. The offense should simply line up, snap the ball, and the quarterback quickly chuck it straight down to stop the clock. Some high-school teams can execute this.
However, with seven seconds remaining, Cardinals' tackle Leonard Davis moved before the ball was snapped. The false start penalty, since it occurred in the final two minutes of the game, carries with it an automatic 10-second runoff—a rule to prevent teams from intentionally committing infractions to stop the clock. That was it. No third-down play. No last chance to win. Thanks for coming. Drive home safely.
Picks: After a 1-2 week where I lost the Cincinnati-Vikings over by 2 points, thanks in part to Daunte Culpepper's five interceptions, I'll try again with the Saints-Vikings over 45, the Packers-Buccaneers over 37, and the Giants plus 6 against the Chargers.
Celebrity checkup: Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton, posted a 3-0 week to improve to 4-2 and into a first-place tie with Monte Carlo master magician Lance Burton.
Lance Burton (4-2)
Rams -6 1/2 over Titans
Panthers -3 at Dolphins
Chiefs +2 1/2 over Broncos
Penn & Teller (3-3)
Steelers -3 vs. Patriots
Eagles -8 vs. Raiders
Panthers -3 at Dolphins
Rita Rudner (1-5)
Bengals -3 at Bears
Seahawks -6 1/2 vs. Cardinals
Chiefs +2 1/2 at Broncos
Kevin Janison (3-3)
Bengals -3 at Bears
Cowboys -6 1/2 at 49ers
Packers +3 1/2 vs. Buccaneers
Clint Holmes (3-2-1)
Giants +6 over Chargers
Packers +3 1/2 vs. Buccaneers
Chiefs +2 1/2 vs. Broncos
Danny Gans (2-4)
Panthers -3 at Dolphins
Buccaneers -3 1/2 at Packers
Cowboys -6 1/2 at 49ers
Oscar Goodman (1-5)
Panthers -3 at Dolphins
Steelers -3 vs. Patriots
Chiefs +2 1/2 at Broncos
Mark & Mercedes (2-3-1)
Panthers -3 at Dolphins
Patriots +3 at Steelers
Broncos -2 1/2 vs. Chiefs
Wayne Newton (4-2)
Colts -13 1/2 vs. Browns
Bengals -3 at Bears
Patriots +3 at Steelers
Sal DeFilippo can punt a standard football three nautical miles.