Dropped pick may have cost Arizona Cardinals a victory

The interception that went through the hands of Tramaine Brock may have quite possibly cost the Arizona Cardinals a victory

Everyone who was watching from the Arizona Cardinals sideline were ready to go into celebration mode. Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s errant throw was sailing through the air, with a cornerback from the Cardinals waiting on the other end. All Tramaine Brock had to do was haul in an easy interception, and the squad may have quite possibly come away with an improbable, overtime victory.

Unfortunately, a fairy-tale ending for the Cards was not in the books. Stafford’s pass ricocheted off of the hands of Brock, allowing the Lions to escape with a 27-27 tie. After the game, Arizona’s dejected cover guy offered his analysis of the play.

“I saw the ball and I knew I had a chance to pick it”, Brock said. The veteran, who had played for Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph with the Denver Broncos last year, thinks he would’ve tried to score. Brock admitted that he was “looking in the end zone, not focusing and keeping my eyes on the ball.”

Actually, the Cards wouldn’t have needed a pick-six to win. The blunder occurred right near the sideline, so Brock could have simply gathered in the pick and stepped out of bounds. Placekicker Zane Gonzalez could have then got Arizona in the win column by booting a 50-yard field goal.

Of course, not much is automatic in the NFL. The 24-year old Gonzalez would’ve still had to make a kick that was by no means a chip shot. The odds would’ve been in the Cardinals favor, however, based on the fact that Gonzalez had converted all four of his field-goal attempts during the matchup.

In fairness to Brock, the Cards may have lost if not for an outstanding play by the 31-year old earlier in the overtime period. Detroit stud Kenny Golladay appeared to have caught a game-winning touchdown with about four minutes to go, but the experienced corner was able to rip the football out of the wide receiver’s hands. The Lions were forced to kick a field goal that could only tie Arizona, so Brock was certainly being viewed as a savior for his new club at that moment.

As Kingsbury pointed out at the postgame press conference, there were several other plays that weren’t made by the Cardinals that could’ve led to a victory over Detroit. Blaming one individual for any defeat would be ludicrous. Nevertheless, Brock would’ve reached hero status if he could’ve just found a way to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity that was presented to him last Sunday.