The first quarter was just like college for Matt Leinart on Sunday as he tossed touchdown passes on his first two possessions as the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.
Then came the fourth quarter. The Cardinals collapsed like, well, the Cardinals and lost 23-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs and their journeyman backup quarterback, Damon Huard.
A 78-yard screen pass to Larry Johnson with 2:31 to play set up a winning 19-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes, capping a 13-point rally. Leinart connected on a 26-yard pass to give reliable kicker Neil Rackers a 51-yard shot at tying it, but Rackers was wide right.
The loss left the Cardinals reeling at 1-4 and 63,445 fans at their newly named University of Phoenix Stadium feeling right at home, unfortunately, although many in the crowd were Chiefs fans.
The Cardinals will play host to the Bears in their first Monday night game since 1999 with their confidence waning and with Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald sidelined with a hamstring injury that coach Dennis Green said looked “fairly serious.”
Leinart tried to paint a happy face on a quickly deteriorating situation by recalling his successful exhibition outing against the Bears on Aug. 25 at Soldier Field, where he completed 12 consecutive passes, signaling that it was only a matter of time before he replaced veteran Kurt Warner.
“We had success in the preseason [against the Bears], but that was the preseason,” Leinart said, later adding: “We can beat Chicago, I think, you know? We’ll just see what happens.”
Not many other Cardinals were looking ahead after dribbling away Sunday’s game. Running back Edgerrin James, as unaccustomed to losing as Leinart, couldn’t suppress an embarrassed chuckle.
“You can’t do the things we did. Ridiculous,” James said. “Matt played very good. I’m not worried about Matt. There’s other things I’m worried about. Crazy.”
James and Green pretty much let Leinart off the hook, although it was his ill-advised pass from his own 10 that set up Tynes for a game-tying field goal. Ty Law intercepted Leinart’s pass at the 22 with 5:58 to play.
“Ty Law kind of sat on the route and jumped in front of it,” Leinart said. “That’s something you have to learn–don’t force the ball.”
Later, Leinart rolled out on second-and-5 from Kansas City’s 36, already within Rackers’ range. He was sacked for an 8-yard loss, forcing a punt.
“I should have thrown the ball away,” he said.
On Kansas City’s next play, from its 13, Johnson took Huard’s screen pass up the sideline. Antrel Rolle caught him by the face mask at the 9-yard line and forced Johnson out of the game with what looked like a serious injury, though Johnson left the field under his own power. Before that play, the Cards had held Johnson to 36 yards rushing and 28 yards receiving.
A botched handoff to Johnson set up the Cards’ second touchdown, and Johnson’s fumble led to a field goal that put the Cards up 17-10.
They led 20-10 when Leinart found Bryant Johnson in the end zone from 49 yards out. Johnson dropped the ball.
“You can’t drop a pass in the end zone when it’s thrown 50 yards in the air and it’s right there,” Green said. “If we go up 27-10, I don’t think they can play their game the way they played it in the end.”
The fourth-quarter meltdown began on the first play when the Cardinals faced second-and-1 from their 29 and ended up punting after James was stuffed twice.
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Leinart, 37-2 and a Heisman Trophy winner at USC, was poised from the start and called an audible to connect with Anquan Boldin from 49 yards on Arizona’s first possession.
It happened only minutes after former USC teammate Reggie Bush scored his first NFL touchdown on a 65-yard punt return to enable New Orleans to beat Tampa Bay. When Leinart found Fitzgerald uncovered from the 5-yard line on the next series, his debut was beginning to look too easy.
“You always have to think positive,” Leinart said. “I think we made strides.”
Although Leinart was sacked three times, at least he didn’t fumble. It was Warner’s 10 fumbles–three of them lost–that convinced Green it was time for a new era.
“I’m not used to losing,” Leinart said. “It’s frustrating. And when you contribute to a loss, it makes it worse.”
With the Cardinals 1-4, Green’s annual playoff promise again looks farfetched.
“When you’re 1-4, you’re not so sure of anything,” he said.
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