Long way to go to playoffs
Atlanta (4-3) is tied in the overall standings with Arizona for what would be the sixth and final NFC playoff spot. The Cardinals, though, currently hold the relevant tiebreaker with a 4-2 NFC record to Atlanta's mark of 3-3.
GOOOOOO RAMS!!!!
azcardinals.com
Sunday, November 3, 2002 at Sun Devil Stadium (73,014) • 2:15 p.m. MST
The Arizona Cardinals, perched in second place in the NFC Western division, reach the halfway mark of their 2002 regular-season schedule this weekend when they continue division play against the St. Louis Rams, a contest that begins a two-game homestand. The Seattle Seahawks follow the Rams into Sun Devil Stadium on November 10.
THE SERIES:
The Rams hold a 17–14–2 advantage in the series dating to 1946 when the teams were in the NFL’s Western Division … the Cards have won the past two, five of the last six, and six of the past eight encounters … in the most recent meeting, the Cardinals posted a 20–17 decision in 1998 in their first regular-season appearance in St. Louis since departing for Arizona in 1988 … in the latest Sun Devil Stadium clash, the Cards prevailed 31–28 in overtime in 1996 … the Rams handed the Cardinals a 35–23 defeat in a first-round playoff game on December 27, 1975 at the L.A. Coliseum.
THE LAST MEETING:
Cardinals 20, Rams 17
September 27, 1998 (A)
The Cardinals’ first regular-season appearance in St. Louis since departing for Arizona in 1988 was their second workmanlike victory in as many weeks, fueled by a 17-point second quarter. The triumph improved the Cards’ record to 2–2 for the first time since 1991 and propelled them into a share of first place in the
NFC East Division. Arizona scored on its first three second quarter possessions—22-yard Joe Nedney field goal, 13-yard Frank Sanders touchdown reception from quarterback Jake Plummer, and four-yard Adrian Murrell touchdown run. The Arizona defense limited the Rams to 264 total yards and just 15 pass completions without benefit of a turnover. Arizona’s 17–7 lead shrank to 17–10 on the final play of the first half when Rams’ kicker Jeff Wilkins launched a 57-yard field goal, the longest three-pointer in Rams’ history, the longest by a Cardinal opponent, and the 12th longest in NFL annals. Following a
scoreless third quarter, St. Louis tied the game at 17–17 on rookie running back Robert Holcombe’s second rushing touchdown, a four-yarder with 9:52 to play. But Arizona marched to Nedney’s 29-yard game-winning field goal on its ensuing possession, a 10-play, 75-yard drive aided by a 43-yard pass interference call to the Rams’ 10-yard line. The Cards’ defense then stopped St. Louis three-and-out and turned the ball over to the Arizona offense, which ate the game’s final 3:11 with eight plays and two first downs. |
