RB Larry Johnson came into the contest having already racked up over 700
yards in total offense and no team had come close to figuring him out so far
this year. The same could have been said at the conclusion of this game, as
well.
From the beginning, Arizona fans knew they were in for a long day. KR Daunte
Hall returned the opening kickoff all the way to the Cardinals 33. From there,
QB Trent Green and Johnson went to work, needing only 2 plays to get into the
endzone. The first, a pass to WR Sammie Parker, got the Chiefs' offense down to
the 12 and Larry Johnson took the handoff on the next play to go nearly
untouched across the goalline. It was frightening how easily the Chiefs marched
into the endzone as there was no pressure or penetration by the defensive front
whatsoever.
Things only got worse from there. After starting their drive deep in their
own territory, thanks to a holding call against LB Brandon Johnson, the Arizona
offensive unit promptly gave up their first sack of the day. LB Kendrell Bell
formally introduced himself to QB Kurt Warner at the Arizona 6, nearly
recovering the ensuing fumble before Warner was able to regain control. The
Chiefs defense never allowed Warner to get into a rhythm by keeping him on his
heels with effective blitzes from every direction. On the very next play, CB
Patrick Surtain met RB Edgerrin James in the backfield as he was taking a
handoff, again causing a fumble, this time recovered by Warner. As has become
customary, the Cards were forced to punt after running only thee plays on their
opening drive when WR Larry Fitzgerald dropped an on-target pass. That also
became a trend for the remainder of the half, as Arizona would not record a
first down until their first series of the second half.
The Kansas City offense, on the other hand, was on cruise control, only being
forced to punt twice in 9 series. In both of those cases, it was clear that poor
execution was the culprit and not anything the Arizona defense was doing. The
offensive line play was tremendous, keeping the Cardinals defense away from QB
Trent Green as well as keeping defenders off the line of scrimmage. Essentially
allowing Johnson a 3-4 yard running start on every rushing play, the line played
a key role in his 220 yard, 3 TD performance. By the halfway point of the game,
the Chiefs held a 29-0 lead.
When the game resumed, it looked as if the Cardinals would be able to at
least save some face by having a respectable second half, but just as in the
first half, the wheels fell off. The Cardinals collected their first first-down
on an 11 yard rush by RB Marcel Shipp, who was lined up alongside James in a
Pro-set formation. After 11 plays and 68 yards on the 5:15 minute drive and at
the Kansas City 12, QB Kurt Warner was sandwiched again by a blitzing Bell and
DT Ryan Sims. Warner fumbled again and this time wasn't as fortunate as the
fumble was recovered by DE Jimmy Wilkerson. It was the last time the Cardinals
offense would cross the Chiefs' 40 yard line.
As in the first half, the Kansas City offensive unit had very few problems,
none of which was a lack of point production. They continued the rout even after
the starters were pulled following the end of the 3rd quarter. QB Damon Huard
actually finished with more passing yardage (9-11, 181 yards) than Kurt Warner
(13-30, 175 yards), while only participating in the final quarter. By the end of
this laugher, the Cardinals were content with inserting QB John Navarre to hand
the ball off to Shipp to eat up the clock.
Cardinals lose 49-0.
On tap:
The Cardinals will embrace the extra day of rest they'll get this week due to
their first appearance on Monday Night Football in more than 10 years. They'll
be preparing for the 3-2 Chicago Bears while trying to shake off this
embarrassing loss. They'll have their hands full with the defending NFC North
champs and the surprisingly productive QB Rex Grossman, who has thus far avoided
the injury-bug that has bitten so often in his career. The Cardinals will need
to dust themselves off quickly and prepare for yet another formidable offensive
attack if they are to have a shot in the bright lights of Monday Night.