Sep 17, 2007, 0:39 GMT
Glendale, AZ - Neil Rackers connected on three field goals, including his game-winning 42-yard attempt with one second to play, as the Arizona Cardinals wasted a 17-point lead but beat the Seattle Seahawks, 23-20, in an NFC West battle.
Matt Leinart completed 23-of-37 passes for 299 yards with one touchdown and one interception for Arizona (1-1), which dropped its season opener to San Francisco, 20-17.
Edgerrin James also had a solid day on the ground, rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Leonard Pope also hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass, while Larry Fitzgerald led all Cardinal receivers with seven catches for 87 yards.
Matt Hasselbeck went 22-of-36 for 281 yards with one touchdown for Seattle (1-1), but his crucial fumble inside of two minutes to play set up Rackers' game-winning boot.
'This offseason I probably hit that ball 500 times,' Rackers said. 'I was pretty confident. But I do feel a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders.'
Shaun Alexander totaled just 70 rushing yards on 18 attempts with a TD, while Deion Branch had seven catches for 122 yards and Nate Burleson had two catches for 39 yards and a score.
With Seattle trailing by 10 to start the third quarter, Hasselbeck did an effective job of mixing the run and pass to get his team back to the end zone. On third down he connected with Bobby Engram for a 26-yard gain. Three plays later Alexander picked up three yards, and facing 4th-and-1, plunged around left tackle for a 16-yard TD scamper.
Arizona went three-and-out and the Seahawks tied the game on an eight-play march that ended with Josh Brown's 28-yard field goal at 3:34 to make it 17-17.
Seattle wasn't done. The Seahawks barely let Arizona cross mid-field before forcing another punt, and on the ensuing possession Hasselbeck completed four straight passes, including a 27-yard completion to Branch that landed Seattle in the red zone. Three plays later, Brown made good on another 28-yard attempt to give his team a 20-17 lead with 9:52 remaining in the contest.
The seesaw battle continued as Leinart led a nine-play march, ending when Rackers booted a 52-yard field goal to make it 20-20 with 4:44 to play.
Seattle got the ball back and appeared to be headed on a game-winning drive, but with two minutes left Hasselbeck aborted a handoff and lost the football, which was recovered by Cardinals' defensive tackle Darnell Dockett at the Arizona 44. James added runs of seven and six yards to set up Rackers, who booted the game-winning 42-yarder.
The Cardinals grabbed the lead on their second possession of the game, as Leinart engineered a brief six-play, 21-yard drive which culminated in a 28- yard field goal by Rackers to account for the only first quarter scoring.
Arizona then went back to work after a Seattle punt, as Leinart hit a streaking Anquan Boldin over the middle for a gain of 31 yards. Two plays later, on 3rd-and-1, Leinart rolled left and found Pope all alone near the left sideline, and he rumbled 30 yards to paydirt for a 10-0 lead with 14:07 on the clock until halftime.
Both teams traded punts, and the Cardinals started their next series at the Seattle 38. Leinart escaped a rush on third down, scrambled and completed a 10-yard pass to Bryant Johnson. James followed with a nine-yard run, and on the next play followed his blockers around the right side and went 17 yards unimpeded for the TD and 17-0 advantage.
Seattle finally got it together offensively, marching 80 yards on 10 plays to cut it to 17-7. The drive was highlighted by Branch's leaping grab on the sideline for a 12-yard gain, and after the Seahawks moved the chains, Hasselbeck hit Burleson with a short pass over the middle as he covered the final 24 yards for the score, cutting the deficit to 10 points with 1:16 left in the half.
The Cardinals tried one more time to extend their lead, but Rackers' 53-yard field goal try hit the left upright and bounced back with two seconds remaining.
Game Notes
This was the home debut of Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt...Leinart has won four of five career divisional starts and has a TD pass in all five games...In the past 16 home games, Boldin has 104 catches for 1,435 yards...Neither team recorded a sack...James' 17-yard touchdown was his longest scoring run since September 9, 2004.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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