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Cardinals send Texans to seventh straight loss

Nov 11, 2013 - 2:58 AM Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Carson Palmer threw a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Arizona Cardinals to a 27-24 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Palmer completed 20-of-32 passes for 241 yards and an interception.

Andre Roberts caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown and Robbie Housler finished with 49 yards and a touchdown on four catches for the Cardinals (5-4), winners in four of their last six games.

"We made good adjustments," Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. "The running game was kind of gone. We felt if we could get them in a one-dimension game we could get after the quarterback, and we were able to do that."

Case Keenum completed 22-of-43 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Andre Johnson for the Texans (2-7), who have dropped seven straight.

Houston was without head coach Gary Kubiak, who suffered a mini-stroke during halftime of the team's Week 9 loss to Indianapolis. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips took over the head coaching duties as Kubiak recovers.

The 66-year-old Phillips has been a head coach with Dallas, Buffalo and Denver and also has experience as an interim head coach, performing those duties previously with Atlanta (2003) and New Orleans (1985).

"All in all it seems like the same theme," Phillips said. "Team is playing tremendously hard but not enough plays. One play here, one play there, and they really dominated us in the second half on their defensive side of the ball."

Houston led 17-14 following Randy Bullock's 48-yard field goal near the midway point of the second quarter. The Texans had a chance to add on to its lead before the break, but Bullock's 40-yard try was blocked by Justin Bethel as time expired.

Jay Feely nailed a pair of field goals, from 35 and 21 yards, respectively, to give Arizona a 20-17 lead after three.

The Cardinals added to their lead in the fourth as Palmer connected with Roberts with a 19-yard touchdown pass, capping a nine-play, 67-yard drive.

Arizona forced a punt with just under five minutes left and had a chance to put the Texans away, but Rashard Mendenhall fumbled on the Cardinals' 5-yard line.

Three plays later Keenum tossed one up for Johnson, who made an incredible catch to pull Houston within three. Keenum threw it up for grabs and the ball was tipped by an Arizona defender, but Johnson was able to reach for the ball and kept both his feet in bounds for the score.

Houston forced an Arizona punt on the ensuing drive, but couldn't pick up a first down and the Cardinals kneeled it out to seal the win.

Arizona scored just 14 seconds in after John Abraham's strip sack of Keenum. Matt Shaughnessy scooped up the loose ball and ran it in from six yards out.

After the teams traded punts, Keenum guided the Texans on an 8-play, 49-yard touchdown drive, capped off with Johnson's incredible catch in the back right corner of the end zone.

On 3rd-and-3 from the Arizona 13, Keenum was flushed out of the pocket to his right and delivered a strike to Johnson. The six-time Pro Bowler managed to snatch the ball and just got his right toe down inbounds to tie the game with 5:55 left in the first period.

The Cards answered with a touchdown as Palmer hooked up with Housler for a 12-yard TD reception just over a minute into the second quarter.

Keenum found Ryan Griffin all alone in the back of the end zone to knot things up at 14-14 on the ensuing drive.

Game Notes

Cards wideout Michael Floyd suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter and did not return ... J.J. Watt had one sack, two forced fumbles and recovered two fumbles in the loss ... The Cardinals will visit the Jacksonville Jaguars next week and Houston will host the Oakland Raiders.