Inside the Numbers: Cards vs. Raiders
By Scott Allen
Number don't always tell the story and in some cases on Sunday they did and in some they didn't in the Arizona Cardinals - Oakland Raiders game.
Beanie Wells: Wells had 14 carries for 75 yards and that was in limited action. If he had carried the ball 20-25 times, which eventually he will need to do, imagine how much closer this game might not have been? His 75 yards though DID matter today, even though he did not hit the end zone.
Special Teams Turnovers: 2. That is a number that mattered on Sunday. You can't muff two punts. You just can't. Not in the NFL. Technically the second fumble wasn't a muff. It hit Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the leg. Players need to pay attention.
Penalties: 7. However this wasn't so much about the number of penalties committed as much as it was the type of penalties and when they happened. Adrian Wilson committed a key 15-yard penalty in the first quarter that allowed the Raiders to continue their drive for their first touchdown.
Missed Oakland Field Goals: 3. That was three too many. How do you miss three field goals and expect to win close games? You don't. Granted, one miss was from 55 yards. That kick actually had the distance, but went wide left. I'll give Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski a mulligan on that one. How do you miss a 32-yard field goal at the end though? That's a tough pill to swallow for the Raiders. Feels like a bullet has been dodged in the Cards locker room.
Derek Anderson: 12-26 2 TD 1 INT 122 yards. The one INT was bad. Very bad. He had no reason to throw an ugly shuffle pass right after Oakland had given the ball to the Cards. Just take the sack! It was very nice to see the touchdowns to Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston. He needs to involve them as much as possible. He does not need to throw 50 passes for this team to be a winner. It would be nice though to complete at least 50 percent of your passes though.
Zero: The number of fumbles from Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower. That might be the most telling story. The Cards were able to move the ball a few times because Wells and Hightower didn't put the ball on the ground.