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Cardinals cool off Browns

Dec 3, 2007 - 2:16 AM By Bob Huhn PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- The Arizona Cardinals are a difficult team to figure out.

Roderick Hood's 71-yard interception return for a touchdown four minutes into the contest set an early tone as the Cardinals held on for a 27-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

"We are in the NFL," Hood said. "We are getting paid to do the job. We had injuries in the secondary but the coach (Ken Whisenhunt) said the expectation comes with the position, not the player."

It was Hood's second interception return for a touchdown this season and the fourth for the Cardinals.

"I have been making plays in practice and it is November, December - that is what people remember," Hood added. "When you are playing good ball in November and December, you go to the playoffs."

Whether the Cardinals can make the playoffs, however, is anybody's guess.

One week after suffering a crushing overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona (6-6) slowed the Browns' playoff push and climbed back to .500.

Last week, Arizona dropped a 37-31 decision, when 49ers linebacker Tully Banta-Cain fell on Kurt Warner's fumble in the end zone.

"Nobody gave us a chance this week," Whisenhunt said. "Nobody thought we could do anything against those guys. They were on a roll. After last week, this was a cleansing win for us. This certainly puts us in the right frame of mind to push forward."

Four times Cleveland (7-5) has come from behind to win games this season, and the Browns tried to do it again Sunday after falling into a 14-0 hole. But they could not overcome four turnovers and lost for just the second time in their last seven games.

Still, nothing comes easy for the Cardinals, as the Browns nearly tied it on the final play of the game, when tight end Kellen Winslow made a leaping catch on Derek Anderson's desperation fourth-down pass from the Arizona 37.

But Winslow was ruled to have made the catch out of bounds, and video replay confirmed the decision on the field.

"Any time you let it come down to a final play, you don't have any room for error," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "We can't blame anyone else but ourselves on that."

Crennel thought Winslow might have been pushed out of bounds, but didn't blame the officials.

"Whether they rule it a force-out or whatever, they looked at it and stayed with the call, so that is the way it goes," Crennel said.

Anderson, who has keyed the Browns' resurgence this season, completed 21-of-41 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

But Anderson's two early turnovers - the interception to Hood and a lost fumble - led to 14 points for the Cardinals.

"The early turnovers gave them 14 points," Anderson said. "I threw a pick and they took it to the house. Then the fumble, they ended up scoring on that.

"It should have never come down to having to make a 'Hail Mary' that Kellen made an amazing play on. It was a force-out but there is nothing we can do about it."

Cleveland's Braylon Edwards caught his 12th touchdown pass of the season, tying the Browns' record held by Paul Warfield and Gary Collins.

Already without wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who has a groin injury, the Cardinals lost wideout Anquan Boldin to a dislocated toe in the third quarter.

But the Browns had trouble stopping Edgerrin James, who rushed for 114 yards on 24 carries.

"When we talked running the football this year, that is what I envisioned our football team would do," Whisenhunt said. "Our offensive line answered the call. To be able to take that time off the clock at the end really gave us a chance."

Trailing 24-18, Cleveland reached the Cardinals' 5-yard line before settling for Phil Dawson's 22-yard field goal.

On the ensuing possession, Arizona took more than four minutes off the clock by keeping the ball on the ground during an 11-play drive.

The Browns kept the the Cardinals out of the end zone as Neil Rackers kicked a 19-yard field goal to make it 27-21 with 1:52 remaining.

"We have some big games coming up here but we gave ourselves a chance," said Warner, who completed 18-of-30 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. "It has been a rollercoaster year."