Rapid Reaction of Arizona Cardinals win over Seattle

What I thought the morning after Week 10

Wow. If you ask my wife, she’ll think I was more nervous last night than when my children were born, and, to a degree, she’s right. Collective wisdom is, that everything will turn out okay during childbirth with modern medicine, but, a football game, now there’s nothing planned, no class to take, no way to anticipate what will happen.

I was subudded as the Cardinals rocketed to a 19-0 lead behind a safety, a field goal and two Michael Floyd beautiful catches (one in the endzone, one plowing over the pylon). I knew this was Seattle, and after what I witnessed watching Detroit try to give the game to the Packers (who didn’t want to win) the game isn’t over until it over.

As the Seahawks took in the second strip-sack of Carson Palmer in the beginning of the fourth quarter, I was irate, I threw my lucky hat, part of my superstitions game day ensemble that includes a Larry Fitzgerald jersey that is never washed after a win, a Cardinals Fossil Watch, and a particular hat that I wear every Sunday. I was mad.

I wanted the Cardinals to win this game because it was something they needed to do to quiet the naysayers and prove to the NFL that they weren’t 6-2 because they put up 40 points on bad teams week after week, they were 6-2 because they played football, and they played it well. I wanted the NFL, the national audience, the Bengals, to see that Arizona could win this game, in Seattle, and we could win in Prime Time.

My heart raced the entire game, only at halftime when I was able to rest for a few minutes and catch up on some of the stories and highlights from the other games of the day, of which I listened to on Sirius XM on my drive back to the Valley from San Diego, but my momentary relaxation was interrupted by the Cardinals nearly giving the game away to the Seahawks.

All the credit in the world needs to go to Carson Palmer, and, if you read Peter King’s excellent MMQB, Drew Stanton, who helped call the plays that put the Cardinals in a position to take back the lead, and Andre Ellington to seal the game away with not only a first down, but a scamper for a touchdown.

But the game was not over after all that, the ensuing drive gave the Seahawks hope, a field goal gave them life, and an onside kick, to the worst guy on the field to kick an onside kick to (Larry Fitzgerald) finally put them away. There’s a three game lead now in the division, with Cincinnati coming up next week, same time, same channel, only at home, the Cardinals just need to take care of business, and get Drew Stanton some dancing lessons.