Arizona Cardinals’ John Brown continues his knack for making big plays
Nov 10, 2014, 3:18 PM | Updated: 3:18 pm
He did it again.
When the Arizona Cardinals needed a big play, rookie John Brown made that play just like so many other times this season.
Sunday, with the Cardinals trailing 14-10 and backup quarterback Drew Stanton in the game, Brown got free down the middle and hauled in a 48-yard touchdown with a beautiful lunging catch.
The Cardinals would go on to win 31-14 to push their record to a league-best 8-1.
“It was a Cover-3, but the safety came out of his area to try to run down and get Larry (Fitzgerald) and it was a perfect throw,” Brown said.
The third-round pick now has 29 catches for 399 yards and a team-leading five touchdown catches — all of which have come in big spots.
Brown’s first NFL touchdown came in Week 1 when he caught a 13-yard strike from Carson Palmer, weaving through defenders in the process. The score, along with a two-point conversion, gave the Cardinals their winning margin in an 18-17 victory over San Diego on Monday Night Football.
Against San Francisco in Week 3, Brown caught two touchdown passes in the third quarter that turned a 14-6 deficit into a 20-14 lead. Arizona would go on to win 23-14.
Two weeks ago, Brown supplied more heroics when he caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Palmer with 1:21 remaining to give the Cardinals a 24-20 lead. Once again, they’d hang on to win.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Brown said when asked about his knack for scoring big touchdowns. “That’s why coach Arians and them brought me in here, to make big plays. They say big-time players step up in big-time games, so I try to do the best I can do when it’s my time.”
And about that celebration that’s becoming part of the tradition of big John Brown touchdowns?
“That’s just something I do just to make people laugh, you know, have fun.”
It’s working. There are a lot of people that are having a lot of fun watching John Brown play football. That group does not include opposing defensive backs.