ADAM GREEN

Notes from the Nest: Arizona Cardinals vs. Indianapolis Colts

Nov 24, 2013, 9:04 PM | Updated: Nov 25, 2013, 12:06 am

Game over

Cards win 40-11 and Bruce Arians gets probably the most meaningful win of his tenure in Arizona. Time to head down to what is bound to be a very happy locker room.


2:00 left in fourth quarter

Jay Feely makes another field goal and the fans are heading for the exits. It’s 40-11.


5:57 left in fourth quarter

Trent Richardson is stopped for no gain on a 4th and 1, and the Cardinals take over at the Indy 40.


7:20 left in fourth quarter

Jay Feely makes good on a 21-yard field goal attempt, and Arizona is now up 37-11. The offense put together another solid drive, with some excellent throws and catches. This is as good as the Cardinals have looked on offense since Kurt Warner was around.


10:25 left in fourth quarter

Colts go for the onside kick and they get it, but illegal touching (ball didn’t travel 10 yards) means Arizona will get it at the Indy 44.


10:26 left in fourth quarter

Andrew Luck does some very Andrew Luck things and leads the Colts down the field for a touchdown. The 17-yard strike to Fleener adds to Arizona’s struggles against tight ends while cutting into the lead. A two-point conversion toss to Heyward-Bey makes hte score 34-11.


12:09 left in fourth quarter

The Cardinals call a timeout as the Colts have it at the Arizona 45. It’s first and 10, and not one person in this building is feeling at all nervous. Kind of comes with the 34-3 lead, I think.


15:00 left in fourth quarter

The third frame ends and the Cardinals are showing no signs of letting this one slip away. In fact, it appears as though some fans are even heading for the exits. They must be new Cardinals fans, because anyone who used to suffer through the days of Sun Devil Stadium and the NFC East would NEVER leave a blowout early. Gotta enjoy these.

Anyway, it’s 4th and 28 and the Cardinals will punt.


4:44 left in third quarter

And just like that, it is now Arizona’s ball at the 29. Another three-and-out for the Colts, and they can’t get anything going against a very stout Cards D. Amazing what they can do when given a lead.


5:51 left in third quarter

The press box conversation has turned to “when was the last time the Cardinals scored X amount of points” and other playoff scenarios.

By the way, Colts have the ball at their 31.


5:57 left in third quarter

Another great drive leads to another Cardinals touchdown. Mendenhall takes it in from five-yards out for the score. Cards go 64 yards in 11 plays, and they are up 34-3.

Is this one over? I’m going to go ahead and say yes. Feel free to blame me if they lose.


11:08 left in third quarter

Colts go for it on 4th and 6, but Luck’s pass bounces around and falls incomplete. Desperate move by a desperate team fails to pay off, and the Cardinals take over at their own 36.


12:20 left in third quarter

Andrew Luck wants a timeout as his team faces a third and six from the 46. Big play coming up here early in the quarter.


14:53 left in third quarter

Return is good for 30 yards and the Colts will take over at their own 24. Marcus Benard is down for the Cardinals, though, so that’s bad.

Worth noting that the Colts have never come back from a greater deficit than 21, and they’re currently down 24. This first drive will probably tell us all we need to know about their chances.


Halftime

The kick is good, and the Cards are up 27-3 at the half. An absolutely dominant performance through 30 minutes of football, and it’s tough to see the Colts coming back from this one. But then again, you never know.


:03 left in second quarter

Shovel pass to Stepfan Taylor goes nowhere and the Cardinals will bring Feely out to attempt a 50-yard field goal. Would be a nice boost heading into the break.


:52 left in second quarter

Chants of “Larry, Larry” ring out as Fitz makes a catch to become the youngest player in history to reach 11,000 receiving yards. Ball is at the Indy 39.


1:41 left in second quarter

Following the punt, Arizona has the ball at its own 29. The first play was…ummm…interesting, as an end-around with Fitzgerald was supposed to be a pass. Guess here is that play will be buried deep inside the playbook.


3:14 left in second quarter

Cardinals go three-and-out and the punt pins the Colts deep at their 12. Luck’s pass is batted around and then caughy by an offensive lineman who is not exactly fast, and he picks up no yardage. Next play Luck hits Fleener, but he’s popped by Powers and the ball comes loose. Incomplete pass, and it is now third and 10 from the 12. Get a stop here and…well…let’s see them get a stop here.

By the way, Powers walked off the field with an injury.


6:47 left in second quarter

Cardinals force another three-and-out, though it was nearly ruined by a bad pass interference call. The flag was picked up and the Colts punted. Arizona ball at the 33.


7:58 left in second quarter

Luck evades the rush to throw the ball away on one play, and the next he evades the rush to throw an interception that Karlos Dansby returns for the touchdown. The score makes it 24-3, and this one has gotten a little out of hand.

Of course, Luck and the Colts have made a living off comebacks this season, so this one is anything but over. Still, couldn’t have asked for a better start if you’re the Cardinals.


8:15 left in second quarter

Palmer gets sacked by Robert Mathis on 3rd and 7, but fortunately for the Cardinals his fumble is recovered by Daryn Colledge. Feely comes on and converts a 48-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-3. This one has been all Cardinals so far.


9:32 left in second quarter

A rare Fitz drop follows a nice play by Floyd. So far, Colts have no answers for Arizona’s receivers.


12:30 left in second quarter

Cardinals got the stop, and Campbell got a huge shot on Luck, too. Penalty on the punt return will push the Cardinals back to their 32.

And then Sowell is called for a false start, putting the ball at the 27. Just more yards for Palmer to accumulate, right?


12:45 left in second quarter

Indy WR T.Y. Hilton is down off the field after failing to come up with a deep ball from Andrew Luck. He walked off the field, not sure what the problem is. If he’s out, though, the Colts will be in some serious trouble.

And actually, they probably are. The Cards are up 14-3 with an offense that has not been stopped and a defense that has been elite all season. It’s 3rd and 10 from the 20, and a three-and-out would be huge.


13:29 left in second quarter

Wow. Carson Palmer with a perfectly thrown ball to Fitzgerald in the corner of the end zone, and the 26-yard score gives Arizona a 14-3 lead.

Palmer looks outstanding, and the Colts have yet to stop the Arizona offense.


13:35 left in second quarter

Palmer hits Michael Floyd for an excellent 29-yard catch and throw. Earlier in the week, Colts coach Chuck Pagano said had “game-wrecker” ability. There it was.


15:00 left in second quarter

The first quarter ends with Rashard Mendenhall looking…great!

Arizona has the ball at its own 41, but the running game has been outstanding. The offense as a whole looks good, save for the inability to finish their second drive.


Still 1:15 left in first quarter

Kickoff sails out of the end zone (seeing a theme here) and the Cards will start at the 20.


1:15 left in first quarter

Defense holds but not before Luck shows his outstanding athleticism by bouncing off would-be tacklers before finally throwing the ball away on third down.

Adam Vinatieri is brought on for a 27-yard field goal, which makes the score 7-3. It’s a bit of a win for the defense, though they did let the drive happen in the first place.


2:16 left in first quarter

Colts are driving.

Looks like the secret is out for how to burn Arizona’s defense: find the tight end. Some of that, a good run from Trent Richardson (what?) and now a pass interference penalty on Patrick Peterson puts the ball at the Arizona ten.


5:38 left in first quarter

Offense once again looks great, marching down the field with help of both Mendenhall and Andre Ellington. Things bog down in the red zone, though, and Feely comes on and has his field goal blocked.

So after all that, Cards come away with nothing. And Feely had made his last 17 field goal attempts.

Colts have the ball at the 20 with some much-needed momentum.


8:30 left in first quarter

Cardinals force a three-and-out, which is kind of what they do. Punt was solid and the return wasn’t great, with things being made worse by a block in the back by Jaron Brown.

Offense back to work at its own 24. Can the Cards do it again?


10:02 left in first quarter

Jay Feely’s kickoff goes for a touchback and Andrew Luck will go to work for the Colts. It’s Arizona’s first look at the phenom, so it will be interesting to see how the D approaches him.

Bruce Arians said during the week he’s as athletic as Cam Newton, so you have to imagine some of the same principles for how to defend him will apply.


10:02 left in first quarter

Wow, what a drive.

The Cardinals go 80 yards in 10 plays, scoring on a four-yard pass from Carson Palmer to Larry Fitzgerald. Everything worked on what has to be their most complete drive of the season. The run game, the passing game — it was all very, very good.

So far it’s Bruce Arians 1, Chuck Pagano 0. Or 7-0. Either way, the folks in red are happy.


Kickoff

Alright folks, the big game is here. The Cardinals will receive the ball to start the Arians Bowl, and the sold out (but not all here) crowd is on its feet in anticipation.

Arizona’s offense played well last week, let’s see if they can carry the momentum over against a better team.

And the kickoff sails out of the end zone for a touchback.

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