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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Next time, maybe Lions coach Bobby Ross
should go for the sure one, not the risky two.
After a decision to go for a 2-point conversion came back to
haunt Detroit, the Arizona Cardinals held on for a 23-19 victory
Sunday to snap the Lions' four-game winning streak.
|  | | Detroit's Germane Crowell stretches for one of his five catches for 142 yards. |
"I decided to go for two points because I felt we were going to
play it to win it. I thought it through. It wasn't a spontaneous
decision," Ross said. "I could probably look back on it and kick
myself in the teeth, but I'm not going to do that because I thought
it through."
Detroit trailed most of the game, but Terry Fair returned Michael Pittman's fumble 35 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 23-19 with 5:26 to play. To the amazement of the Cardinals, Ross
decided not to kick the extra point, and Gus Frerotte's pass was intercepted by Ronald McKinnon on the conversion attempt.
"There was no one open," Frerotte said. "I kept moving and
moving, trying to find somebody."
The Lions drove to the Arizona 11 in the final minutes, and
would have had a chance to tie the game with a short field goal if
they had kicked the extra point moments earlier. Instead, they were
forced to go for the touchdown.
Frerotte threw three consecutive incompletions, the last one
through Germane Crowell's fingers with 1:08 to play, and the Cardinals ran out the clock.
The second-guessing got to Ross in the post-game news conference.
"A lot of people are going to jump on this football team, and I
don't give a damn," he said. "And I tell you what, this team is
not going to quit."
Then he stormed away.
The loss cut Detroit's lead over Minnesota in the NFC Central to a half-game. The Cardinals ended their three-game losing streak.
"We needed a win in the worst way," Arizona quarterback Dave Brown said. "It was ground zero for this team. The morale was pretty low."
Pittman, a second-year player making his first pro start, rushed for 133 yards in 23 carries, including a 58-yarder for a touchdown and the fourth-quarter fumble, and also caught two passes for 44 yards.
"This is a dream come true for me to be a starter in the NFL,"
Pittman said. "I was so geeked up before the game, I almost passed
out."
He was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Adrian
Murrell in an attempt to give some life to a ground game ranked
last in the NFL.
"Michael Pittman gave us a running game," coach Vince Tobin
said. "He had some great runs."
Pittman's scoring run, Arizona's longest in three years, put the Cardinals up 23-7 with 11:11 left in the third quarter. On Detroit's next play, Frerotte connected with Crowell on a 77-yard
touchdown play to cut the lead to 23-13. The 2-point conversion try failed.
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GAME NOTES |
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Eric Swann's two sacks were his first since returning after being out a year with two knee operations.
Ronald McKinnon had 10 tackles for the Cardinals, along with his interception on Detroit's 2-point conversion.
Detroit quarterback Charlie Batch had hoped to be available as a
backup, but was ruled out before the game.
A Gus Frerotte pass bounced off the face of Lions receiver Brian Stablein, knocking him
embarrassingly off his feet.
Arizona's 23 points were its most since scoring 25 in its season-opening win over Philadelphia.
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Arizona (3-6), which had averaged 67.9 yards a game on the ground, outgained Detroit 159-42 in yards rushing.
Frerotte, who came on as a backup to rally Detroit to wins over
Minnesota and St. Louis, started Sunday because of Charlie Batch's bruised right thumb. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 375 yards and
two touchdowns but was sacked five times, twice by Eric Swann.
Brown, starting in place of injured Jake Plummer for the third straight game, was 16-of-30 for 209 yards. He credited a lecture
from the team leaders in a players-only meeting on Monday for
getting the team ready to play.
Chris Jacke kicked field goals of 35, 35, and 49 yards in the
first half as Arizona built a 16-7 lead at the break.
Going into the game, the Cardinals averaged 229 yards a game to
rank 29th out of 31 NFL teams. They had 244 by halftime and
finished with 343.
The difference, Brown said, was the Cardinals' decision to throw
deep early. That loosened up everything else.
The Lions (6-3) took the opening kickoff and went 61 yards in
five plays. Johnnie Morton stretched out for a diving fingertip
catch of Frerotte's 46-yard pass to set up a seven-yard scoring
pass to tight end David Sloan.
Brown's 40-yard pass to David Boston set up Jacke's 35-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 with 7:59 left in the first
quarter.
Detroit drove deep into Arizona territory late in the quarter,
but Crowell fumbled and Aeneas Williams recovered at the Cardinals
16. Arizona went 84 yards in nine plays for the go-ahead touchdown.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Arizona Clubhouse
Week 10 wrap-ups
Week 10 infirmary report
TJ's Take: Colts riding high
PrimeTime Players
Week 10 stats leaders
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