Patriots Crush Cardinals in Week 16

There is just something about football and snow, don't ya say? Well, that is not what the Arizona Cardinals were thinking this Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. After a long, dismal afternoon of football in New England I'd bet that all the Cardinals wanted to do was hop a plane back to the sunny Arizona desert. The Patriots began this game looking to clinch the wild card spot and in order to do so they needed to win this game and the next. They will also need some help from the Jets and the Dolphins to pick up that spot.

The game started out with the snow blanketing the field and it was quite apparent that the Cardinals were not familiar with the elements. Within the first seven minutes played in the first quarter the New England Patriots scored the first touchdown of the game using Mike Vrabel as an extra blocker against the Cards and Lamont Jordan scored his 2nd touchdown of the season. The Patriots only had to drive the ball 33 yards after the Welter return. It had been a long 25 year stretch since the Cardinals had played in the snow, and today with snow and 30 degree temps it was sure to prove to be a lesson learned.

A few highlights of the game? Well, for New England there were only highlights,as the Cardinals sat 4th and 11 after a face mask penalty and were forced to punt back to the Patriots, who returned it for the 2nd time in the first quarter for just 11 yards this time. Sammy Morris ran 44 yards after catch from Cassel. This is yet another problem the Cards are facing, the Cards were not at all familiar with the snow and the Patriots effectively took advantage of the elements. With just under four minutes at 2nd and goal , there was Lamont Jordan with yet another touchdown. The score 14-0 with 3:46 remaining in the first...yes the first quarter. It looked like a Happy Holiday early on in Foxboro. The defensive line of the Patriots seemed to stop the Cards at every instance this game, and Kurt Warner attempted only his second pass of the game and was sacked hard by Mike Wright, with a loss of 7 yards. All of this just in the first fifteen minutes.

With the 4th punt of the day, the Cards just minutes into the 2nd quarter, Matt Cassel made a pass to Gaffney for 37 yards gained. Cassel then turned right around with a pass to Faulk and then guess what? Come on, you don't have to think outside of the box for this one.

Yes, another Patriots touchdown. The Cardinals needed to reevaluate their defensive play immediately. One has to wonder what this game would look like if the elements had been less harsh. Finally, the Cards picked up their first 1st down of the game with eleven minutes to play in the 2nd. No sooner than you could hope the Cardinals could do something promising, New England would gain possession and Welker would score another touchdown. Welker, then laid in the end zone and made a snow angel after the Pats 4th touchdown with 1:52 before the half, then was tagged with a unsportsmanlike penalty. I question this call, the man was just getting in the holiday spirit.

To start out the 3rd quarter the man himself, Randy Moss gets the 76 yard catch from Cassel and the game looks like it's done. This is just the Pats game- I think the Cards went home long before the game started. The three field goal attempts were made all good by Gostkowski with the score of 47-0 just after the start of the 4th quarter. One comment I have to make about the Cards, is this- Matt Leinart got into this game with this deficit that was deeper than than the snow that was currently falling in Massachusetts. As if the Cardinals needed another blow to their ego, their was the Ellis Hobbs interception of Leinarts throw in the early part of the 4th. This is the second consecutive loss for the Cardinals since clinching a playoff spot weeks earlier, on December 7th.

The only highlight for he Cards was finally getting on the board with a 78 yards pass play from Matt Leinart to Larry Fitzgerald with 6:17 remaining on the 4th. Matt Leinart threw 6/14 for 138 yards while starting quarterback, Warner threw 6/18 for only 30 yards.

Finally, it's over and the Patriots win 47-7, keeping their playoff hopes alive for yet another week.