Fourth-quarter bomb foils Arizona Cardinals upset bid

The Arizona Cardinals had an opportunity to pull off a major upset until a 41-yard bomb from the opposition dashed their hopes

For the second consecutive week, the Arizona Cardinals had a chance. One more stop by their defense would give their offense an opportunity to eke out a win. Not a bad spot to be in for a Cards club who had entered their matchup with the Baltimore Ravens as a 13-point underdog.

The opposition’s quarterback, Lamar Jackson, was having an outstanding afternoon. Baltimore’s second-year starter had inflicted damage on the Cardinals all day, using both his arm and his legs to do so. One more third-down conversion would pin a defeat on an extremely feisty Arizona squad.

Facing a third down and 11 with a little over three minutes to play, Jackson dropped back into the pocket. The dual-threat Raven unleashed a bomb, hoping to find rookie wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on the other end of it. An errant pass by Jackson, a good defensive play or a drop by the wideout would give the Cards one more shot at a victory.

Unfortunately, a triumph was not in the cards for the visiting team. Despite excellent coverage from Cardinals cornerback Tramaine Brock, the back-breaking play was successful. Jackson made an incredible throw, Brown came down with a magnificent catch and Baltimore had thwarted Arizona’s upset attempt.

The Ravens crowd had been given something to be worried about early in the fourth quarter. A David Johnson touchdown run, followed by a successful two-point conversion reception by KeeSean Johnson, got the Cards to within three points. The scoring sequence was set up Kyler Murray‘s 54-yard completion to the ever-dependable Larry Fitzgerald.

Over the past two weeks, the Cardinals have shown that they’ll fight until the very end. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury appears to have won over the locker room. That’s not an easy task for a 40-year old who is fresh out of the college ranks.

In the end, the 22-year old Jackson was too hard to handle for the Arizona defenders. The youngster’s late-game heave to the exciting Brown was a play that only a winner can make. Even the Cardinals would have to agree with that assessment.