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Cardinals win second straight, beat Rams

Oct 7, 2007 - 10:44 PM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Kurt Warner came off the bench to win in a place where he won so many times before.

Warner kept the offense moving through the air and Edgerrin James grinded out the yards on the ground, lifting the Arizona Cardinals to a 34-31 victory over the winless St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

A former Ram who guided the franchise to the Super Bowl title during the 1999 season, Warner always has fond memories when he returns to St. Louis.

"It's always special(coming back)," Warner said. "Not very many guys get the opportunity to come back to an opposing stadium and get a standing ovation. I love the people here. I love this community. I have a lot of great memories in this building. You try not to get too emotional. You try to tune it out a little bit."

Warner now splits time at quarterback in Arizona with Matt Leinart, who has struggled this season. Warner saw the bulk of playing time Sunday after Leinart suffered a fractured left collarbone in the second quarter. "I'm disappointed for Matt," Warner said. "You never like to see anybody go through that stuff. You never like to be put in a position because of an injury.

"You guys all know I love to play and I'm excited to play. I'm going to try to pick up where he left off. We're sitting at 3-2 and I'm going to try to keep (Leinart's) seat warm for a while."

Warner did enough to keep the Rams winless, completing 14-of-28 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He also rushed for a score in the second quarter.

"I thought Kurt stepped up and did some good things for us," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "He stepped in there and was productive."

With 3:11 remaining, Warner threw a 7-yard TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald, giving the Cardinals (3-2) a 34-23 lead.

"It really just comes down to finding ways to win," Warner said. "I just want to win games. I don't care who you play. I don't care when you play them. You have to come out and play good football in this business."

Fitzgerald finished with nine receptions for 136 yards.

It also was a productive afternoon for James, who rushed for 88 yards on 26 carries.

Before going down, Leinart went 7-of-13 for 100 yards and an interception.

Starting in place of the banged-up Marc Bulger, Gus Frerotte threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions for the Rams (0-5).

"We put points on the board," Frerotte said. "We didn't do that in the past so many games. We had a lot of positives but when it comes down to it you have to be hard on yourself."

Frerotte's final interception was returned 68 yards for a TD by Roderick Hood with 13:47 remaining, allowing the Cardinals to grab a 27-20 lead.

"I really don't think (Frerotte) saw me," Hood said. "I don't think he saw me come off the one-on-one. Then it was nothing but green grass and I knew I was going to score."

"That was a backbreaker for us," Frerotte said. "I was just trying to get it out of my hand and not take a sack. I should have gone to the running back on that one. That was a costly mistake for us."

After Jeff Wilkins kicked a 31-yard field goal, Warner sealed things with his connection to Fitzgerald.

"It's unbelievable what's happening to this team," Rams receiver Dante Hall said. "We come into the season with the cards stacked right and it just seems like things week-in-week-out just keep falling apart."

The Rams got a big play on the Cardinals' first drive when Fakhir Brown, playing his first game after serving a four game suspension for substance abuse, intercepted Leinart and returned the ball 12 yards to the Rams 39-yard line.

The Rams then mounted a nine-play, 33-yard drive that resulted in a 46-yard field goal by Wilkins.

Arizona answered with a 50-yard field goal by Neil Rackers to tie the game.

St. Louis finally scored an offensive touchdown when Frerotte found Drew Bennett in the back of the end zone from 16 yards five seconds into the second quarter. It was the Rams' first TD in their last 33 possessions.

The Cardinals once again moved the ball down the field behind Leinart but came away empty-handed as Rams rookie Adam Carriker blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt by Rackers.

Arizona switched things up midway through the second quarter and replaced Leinart with Warner, who marched the team downfield.

Running the no-huddle offense, Warner led the team down to the St. Louis 6. James took a hand-off and fumbled at the goal line. The ball squirted into the end zone and it looked as if the Rams had it covered. However, Reggie Wells bounced into the pile and came out with the ball for a Cardinal touchdown, tying the game at 10-10.

"I was following the play," Wells said. "I saw the ball come out and the Rams player going after it. I wasn't sure if it was libe or not but I didn't hear a whistle, so I went for it."

After a 35-yard field goal by Wilkins put the Rams back on top 13-10, the Cardinals took over with 1:11 left in the first half and drove to the St. Louis 1 with 14 seconds left.

Without a timeout, the Cardinals opted to give the ball to James, who was stopped for no gain. But during a scramble, the Rams were called for delay of game, allowing one untimed down to be run. Warner then dove over the top, giving the Cards a 17-13 lead.

"I don't think I've ever done that," said Warner of his plunge. "I've only had like three in my whole career. I wasn't real excited. I was trying to talk them out of that play on the sidelines."