5 most memorable Arizona Cardinals meltdowns of all-time

Dennis Green – 2006

“THEY ARE, WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!” 

To this day, that single exclamatory sentence continues to draw laughs throughout the NFL Universe.

So what happened? And what was Green so angry about? On October 16th, 2006, during a Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears, the Cardinals held a 20-0 lead at halftime, only to watch it slip away in the worst way possible.

First, Bears kicker Robbie Gould put his team on the board before Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers responded, increasing Arizona’s lead back to 20. After Mark Anderson forced a fumble on a Matt Leinart sack, safety Mike Brown did the rest to pull the Bears within 13.

Bears quarterback Rex Grossman threw a pick-six to Darnell Dockett, which would have put the Cardinals up by 17. But a Bears challenge negated the touchdown. Grossman subsequently threw another pick, this time to Robert Griffith. But Edgerrin James would fumble on the next play thanks to a Brian Urlacher strip. Charles Tillman returned it to the end zone and drew the Bears within six points.

Then Devin Hester pitched in and returned a Cardinals punt 83 yards for a touchdown. Now down 24-23, the Cardinals still had a chance for a comeback of their own after being up by 20 points. However, Rackers missed the game-winning 40-yard field goal to seal the deal for the Bears.

And in case you’ve never seen it, here’s the video of Green pulling off what might just be the best post-game rant of all time.