Carter Overcomes Injury, Leads Jets Over Cardinals
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TEMPE, Ariz.-Two touchdowns in two weeks were enough for two victories on the road for the Jets.
New York beat the Arizona Cardinals 13-3 yesterday to improve to 8-3 in their quest for, at the very least, a wild-card playoff berth.
Quincy Carter came back from a head injury to deliver the knockout blow against Arizona. Carter left after the third play of the game, but returned to throw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss.
Curtis Martin carried 24 times for 99 yards and Doug Brien kicked field goals of 28 and 46 yards.
The sluggish triumph followed a 10-7 victory at Cleveland a week ago.
“When you play defense like that, you’ve always got a chance to win on the road,” coach Herman Edwards said.
Martin and Emmitt Smith brought 30,817 career yards rushing into the game – the most by two backs playing in the same contest in NFL history. But Smith wasn’t around long, spraining his left big toe on his left foot late in the first quarter. He played in the next series, then left the game for good.
Arizona (4-7) managed only a 20-yard field goal by Neil Rackers as the first half ended. Shaun King got his second straight start for the Cardinals, going 14-for-26 for 119 yards. He was booed roundly, starting with his second pass, and there were growing chants of “Josh, Josh, Josh.”
Josh McCown, starter in the first nine games,came on in the fourth quarter after Jonathan Vilma intercepted King’s pass at the Jets 5-yard line. The Cardinals had driven from their 21 to the New York 21 when King lobbed a pass far short of intended receiver Larry Fitzgerald and into Vilma’s hands.
McCown completed his first pass, but Anquan Boldin was stripped by former Cardinal David Barrett, then Vilma recovered at the Jets 44 with 6:23 to play. McCown was intercepted twice – in the end zone by Barrett with 1:50 to play and by Terrell Buckley as the game ended.
Carter left after he was hit by Russell Davis as he threw, then two more Cardinals jumped on the pile. Brooks Bollinger got his first NFL action in relief of Carter. Bollinger had been the third-stringer before Chad Pennington went down with a strained rotator cuff.
Edwards praised the play of Bollinger, who was 5-for-9 for 60 yards and helped give the Jets good field position when Carter returned.
Carter was back for New York’s first scoring drive. Martin carried five times for 36 yards, including a 19-yarder, to set up Brien’s 28-yarder with 3:28 remaining in the half.
New York took the lead on its first possession of the second half on Brien’s 46-yarder. The next time the Jets had the ball, Carter threw long to Moss down the right sideline. The ball went through the hands of defender Renaldo Hill. Moss grabbed it at the 20 and ran untouched to the end zone to put New York ahead 13-3.
Moss’s TD catch was the longest reception of his four-year NFL career.