Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Yeah, Baby, We're Number...well...27

But we're climbing!

Sunday was a beautiful day. It started with the trip to the stadium. Traffic was rather light, so I assumed that the place would be emptier than usual, but as it turns out, people are just not rushing to be there at kickoff.

Their loss.

And, in fact, people who didn't show up for the first 2 1/4 minutes of the game missed out on some of its most exciting action. There is something amazing about seeing your team start the game by stuffing the vaunted opponent with a three and out followed by an amazing punt return and a 54 yard touchdown pass.

Don't get me wrong, we've seen the Cards jump out to big leads several times this year only to watch the lead disappear in time for the final clock tick, but a funny thing happened on the way to the typical Cardinals game: the defense held.

This was a wonderful game. Yes, the Seahawks took the lead with just over 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, but the Cards just came back and retook the lead never to relinquish it again.

So now the team is 4-9 with a chance to actually take 2nd place in the division. To do that, they'd have to catch St. Louis who gets Oakland, Washington and Minnesota (but we'd only have to hope for one of them to beat St. Louis thanks to tiebreakers) to close out the season, but simply beating San Francisco is enough for the Cards to pass them on the board.

Make it to 2nd place, and the Cards could get a home game next year against Minnesota instead of Detroit as well as an away game against the Giants instead of Washington. This is what they're playing for.

Go Cards!

Monday, December 04, 2006

First Things First

What a game that was! The Cards took the opening kickoff and proceeded to wipe out half the first quarter with a suffocating drive that seemed to demoralize the team, even if only a little at first. And for the first time this year, they took a game opening lead and never looked back. What a joy. You know, even with knowing that the team will not make the postseason yet again, this was a very satisfying win.

That said, it is now time to finally say that the Cardinals are officially eliminated from postseason eligibility. Curiously, had Denver held out against Seattle last night, the Cards could have remained eligible until the 16th (or even longer). Time to look forward to ensuring that Seattle gets only a Wild Card game at home this postseason.