NFL Feature Capsules - NFC: Four-game slide has N.Y. Giants with backs to wall
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A four-game losing streak has not only hurt the New York Giants' chances of repeating in the NFC East, it has put their playoff hopes in serious doubt.
Heading into their bye week, the Giants (5-4) are a half-game behind Atlanta (5-3) for the NFC's second wild-card playoff spot with the teams scheduled to meet at the Meadowlands on Nov. 22.
Tom Coughlin's team faces the tough part of its schedule in the final seven weeks. Five of the teams remaining on the schedule would be in the playoffs if the season had ended Sunday and three are division leaders: Minnesota, Dallas and Denver.
"This is a situation that the Giants are comfortable in," defensive end Osi Umenyiora said Monday. "We have our backs to the wall. We always come out swinging, and we hope to be able to do that for the rest of these games right here. This is something we are used to."
Losing has been another companion the past four weeks and Sunday's 21-20 loss to the San Diego Chargers might have been the most excruciating in the slump.
The Chargers won the game with an 80-yard march capped by Philip Rivers' 18-yard pass to Vincent Jackson with 21 seconds to play.
It was the only long drive of the game for San Diego, which got its other two touchdowns following short punts by Jeff Feagles. It also came after New York failed to capitalize on a first-and-goal at the Chargers 4 with just over three minutes to play.
A holding penalty against Chris Snee on first down pushed back New York 10 yards and then it seemingly settled for a field goal. Eli Manning never threw to the end zone, and it cost the Giants.
Even Coughlin seemed to question why offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride didn't try to put the game away.
"I'm not exonerating anyone from anything, including me," Coughlin said Monday. "I'm at fault, and I should have found a way for us to win. No one is going to feel any worse than I do."
Coughlin is going to let his players get away for the bye week after a workout Wednesday, although Umenyiora plans to stick around a few days to get a jump on the Falcons game, noting it's hard not to think about football with the team slumping.
For his part, Coughlin has tried to remain consistent. He has pointed out where the mistakes have been made each week and tried to get his players focused on what's ahead.
"We have seven games to go when we come back," Coughlin said. "All you need is a chance and to have an opportunity. That's what we really believe: 'We'll have a chance.'"
Defensive captain Antonio Pierce sounded frustrated talking about the slide, but he blamed his tone on being tired — maybe tired of losing.
He insisted the Giants still have a chance of winning the division because they have games remaining with Dallas (6-2), Philadelphia (5-3) and Washington (2-6).
"This team is very capable," Pierce said. "This team is capable of winning a championship, but until we go out there and play football and win games and do what we are supposed to do and finish them and play physical and win the fourth quarters, we have to find ways to do that.
"I have all the confidence in the world in this team to turn it around," he added. "Hopefully we can go 7-0 in this stretch. I know one thing, every game from this point on is very critical to our season and we have to win the majority of games to see if we will play in January and February."
The Giants probably need to go about 5-2 down the stretch to make the playoffs. It's not what they envisioned when they got off to a 5-0 start, the Giants' best since 1990, when they also won a Super Bowl.
"We have put ourselves in some level of a bind," Eli Manning said. "Not a bind, we're not the exact position we want to be in at 5-4, but it's not an awful position."
It's just not as good as it could have been.
Two of the four losses in the slump were giveaways. San Diego won despite having the ball for 22 minutes and being limited to 34 yards rushing. Manning threw three interceptions and turned over the ball four times in a home loss to Arizona two weeks ago.
"Right now we are going through a midseason slump where things aren't going well for us, but you can't say it's all over," Pierce said. "It's not all over. We are going to take one game at a time. When you find a way to win one game, we'll just get on a roll."
For the Giants sake, it better be soon.
"We believe in each other," center Shaun O'Hara said. "We'll get through this. We've been through tough times before and the only way that you can prove your mettle is to just go out there and remain faithful to each other and the process."
Relieved Bucs eye brighter future with Freeman
TAMPA, Fla. — No longer winless, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are feeling pretty good about themselves.
Music blared in the locker room Monday, a day after rookie Josh Freeman led the team to its first victory, a 38-28 upset of Green Bay that heightened expectations for the remainder of the season.
Freeman, the third quarterback selected in this year's draft, was far from perfect in his first NFL start.
Nevertheless, the 6-foot-6, 248-pound first-round pick did enough well to not only to beat the Packers but raise questions about why the Bucs waited until they were 0-7 before giving him a chance.
First-year coach Raheem Morris said it was simple: The Bucs are determined to not rush the 21-year-old's development.
"We still have to be patient. We still have to let him grow," said Morris, who has known Freeman since the quarterback was a freshman at Kansas State and Morris was the defensive coordinator there.
"He made some mistakes he can go back and look at ... that will allow him to get better and better. It was a nice start, very similar to the one I saw him do in college. Coming back, leading your team down with a two-minute drive, scoring a touchdown," to win.
Freeman threw two of his three touchdown passes after the Bucs fell behind 28-17 early in the fourth quarter. He took advantage of a long kickoff return to cut into the deficit, then led an eight-play, 72-yard march to put Tampa Bay ahead with under five minutes to go.
Freeman finished 14 of 31 passing for 205 yards. He was sacked once and threw a first-half interception that Green Bay was unable to turn into points.
"He was fine — like he's been doing it for 20 years," tight end Kellen Winslow, whose leaping catch in the back of the end zone pulled Tampa Bay within 28-23. "Six or seven weeks ago he was nervous and messing up on plays — just not ready. He's really made strides. We're proud of him."
There were a few hiccups, too.
Tampa Bay's first possession of the game ended poorly when Freeman, scrambling on third-and-5 from his own 25, started his slide early and was ruled down after a 4-yard gain instead of getting the first down.
He also had an awkward moment in the second quarter when he fumbled a snap at the Bucs 3 before recovering on second down. Thinking fourth down was coming off, he began to walk off the field before being waved back to the huddle.
"He made some mistakes, which all young quarterbacks do," Morris said, adding that Freeman also exhibited the type of composure that inspires confidence among teammates looking to a quarterback for leadership.
"That's why we brought him in to lead this franchise," the 33-year-old coach added. "I'm sure there's guys that feel how poised he was out there, never really rattled."
Morris is the NFL's youngest coach. Freeman became the youngest player to start a game at quarterback for the Bucs, who had dropped 11 straight dating to an 0-4 December that cost them a playoff berth after a 9-3 start last season.
The atmosphere at the club's training facility was much more relaxed Monday. Players wandered in and out of the locker room, cracking jokes and talking about making the most of the rest of the season.
The schedule is tough, including four games against NFC South rivals New Orleans and Atlanta.
But the Bucs also face three teams on the road — Miami, Carolina and Seattle — that currently have losing records. The other remaining game is at home against the New York Jets, who are 4-4.
While winning bolstered the team's belief in themselves, Morris said there's little chance his players will enter next Sunday's game against the Dolphins (3-5) overconfident.
"I don't think we can because we are 1-7," said Morris, who got congratulatory calls or text messages on his first victory from a number of friends, including Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and former Buccaneers Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp.
The first-year coach added he never feared he'd lose the team during the 0-7 start.
"All the guys in my locker room, they're so young they're all fighting for their jobs. Everybody. ... Coaches, players, myself. So, there's no quit," Morris said.
"We don't have a veteran led team. We don't have a bunch of guys who can shut down and say I'll be back next year because my contract says this. So it was never a problem. These guys want to win."
-- Fred Goodall
Unbeaten Saints way ahead of last season
METAIRIE, La. — Jabari Greer takes a cautious view of the dramatic improvements made by the unbeaten Saints in only one season.
"It's a long season and people like to analyze where you are at a certain point," Greer said. "But as a competitor, you realize it doesn't matter until it's over.
"If we continue to do this, then we have something special. But if we don't, we're going to be the team that could have, you know? That should have."
With only half of their 2009 season in the books, the Saints already have matched their win total from 2008, surpassed several key statistical marks from all of last season and put themselves on pace to improve significantly in other areas.
The biggest gains have come on defense.
Three fumble recoveries in a 30-20 win over Carolina on Sunday gave New Orleans 24 takeaways this season, or two more than in all of 2008.
Anthony Hargrove's score on a short fumble return was the Saints' seventh defensive touchdown this season, compared to none last year.
The Saints also have 16 interceptions this season after having 15 the year before.
Greer, a sixth-year cornerback in his first season with the Saints, has been a key contributor to New Orleans' increase in big plays on defense. He has two interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown.
Still, in five previous years in the NFL, Greer agreed that "it would seem unusual" for an NFL team to need only half a season to eclipse 16-game totals for things like fumble recoveries and interceptions.
At the same time, the Saints expected to make substantial gains in those areas, he said, because "it's something that we stress every day during practice."
Coach Sean Payton was quick to note that different personnel and changes on the coaching staff — the Saints have a new defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams — are bound to produce different results.
"There are a lot of things that we can point to as to why we were 8-8 a year ago," Payton said. "The comparison of why we're playing better football this year, I would say we're playing better defense, we're rushing the football better, we're creating the turnovers. Those are the three things that I don't think we did very well a year ago."
The gains have been less dramatic with an offense that led the NFL last season, but there is still evidence of improvement.
The Saints are averaging 144.6 yards rushing this season, 45 yards more per game than last season. The Saints are averaging 37.9 points per game, or about nine points per game more than last season.
Some of that improvement has to do with the defensive scores, but not all of it. At their current pace, the Saints would finish with about 606 points, surpassing the NFL record 589 scored by the 2007 New England Patriots.
And the Saints have been much more dominant in the late stages of games.
In 2008, New Orleans outscored opponents 127-100 in the fourth quarter. So far this season, the Saints have a 91-18 fourth-quarter edge — a big reason New Orleans has been able to secure comeback victories in its past three games, pulling away to win two of those by double digits.
Only one of the Saints' victories — a 35-27 win over Atlanta — has come by fewer than 10 points. They've won three times by 20 points or more.
Payton said he is proud of his players for finding various ways to win games. It has been gratifying for him to see an emphasis placed in certain areas — like takeaways and the running game — followed by significant improvement in those areas.
Still, the fourth-year head coach remains concerned by fits of sloppiness and offensive turnovers — New Orleans has turned the ball over 10 times in its last three games — that have caused his team to fall behind in recent weeks.
"We have to be more consistent," Payton said. "I do think we can play a lot better than we played (Sunday). And I'm not just saying that because it's time to come in here and throw water on a party. ... We have to get some things cleaned up and we have to do that before we sit in here and say it finally cost us a game."
-- Brett Martel
Falcons say they feed off Smith's enthusiasm
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Mike Smith has a dangerous throwing arm. Just ask Thomas DeCoud.
After a touchdown catch by Washington's Todd Yoder in the corner of the end zone on Sunday, Smith decided to challenge the play.
As he ran toward the field, the Falcons coach couldn't find the red challenge flag in his back pocket. Smith kept running, gaining speed and momentum as he kept digging before finally he fired the flag about 15 yards — right at DeCoud's head.
The Falcons safety had to quickly lean back to avoid Smith's toss.
"I thought he didn't have his feet inbounds either, so I was telling him to throw it," DeCoud said. "It just so happened he hummed it at me. I had to pull a little 'Matrix' move to get out of the way."
Smith laughed on Monday when asked if he had been practicing his throws.
"I was worried," he said. "I was digging deep in my pocket and couldn't get the darn thing out. That was a decision to challenge a touchdown so I wanted to make sure it got out there in time before the extra point was attempted."
Smith lost the challenge, but the zeal Smith showed when challenging the play was only part of his emotional day during the Falcons' 31-17 win over the Redskins that left Atlanta (5-3) in playoff contention at the midpoint of the season.
Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall wasn't so happy with Smith's sideline demeanor.
The NFL is looking into a sideline incident involving Hall and members of the Falcons after LaRon Landry's late hit on Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan in the second quarter.
Hall followed Landry to the Atlanta sideline and was quickly engulfed by Falcons players and coaches, including Smith. Hall claimed Smith "cussed me out" and tried to put his hands on him "in a harmful way."
From the Falcons' viewpoint, Smith was only sticking up for his players.
"That's the type of coach you want," said Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux. "You want a coach who's going to stand in there for us and have our back just like we have his back."
DeCoud said players feed off the coach's animated displays of emotion.
"It's great to have a coach who gets fired up on the sideline and gets mad about things and wears his heart on his sleeve pretty much when he's coaching a football game," DeCoud said. "You like to play with that kind of passion and that kind of fire, and it's great to have a coach who emulates the same kind of sentiments and you can feed off his energy as well as his teammates."
Babineaux said Smith coaches as if he wishes he could be in uniform.
"We know he's got that fire in him and I'm pretty sure he wishes he could be out there with us playing, but he's out there giving his all throughout the week and throughout the game and keeping us fired up and motivated," Babineaux said. "He's a hell of a coach."
The former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator quickly won over the Falcons locker room as the full-time replacement for Bobby Petrino, who quit before the end of the 2007 season.
The Falcons, who were 4-12 in 2007, advanced to the playoffs with their 11-5 turnaround last year as Smith was chosen The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year.
Smith is in position to lead the Falcons to their first back-to-back winning records in franchise history.
Longtime Falcons center Todd McClure said the fire that had Smith in the middle of Sunday's sideline fracas has played an important role in the team's turnaround.
"He's always like that," McClure said. "I love playing for him. I think everybody in this locker room does. He's always got your back. He is always looking out for his guys. Like (last) week in practice, we were banged up a little bit, we took the pads off and he took care of us. I think guys responded, came out here and played a good game."
Smith said his fiery, animated style of coaching hasn't changed since he was an assistant with Baltimore from 199-2002 and in his five years in Jacksonville.
"I think I'm different than I was in my first game last year," Smith said. "I can assure you I was very, very nervous in my first game.
"But in terms of how I coach, I've been coaching for a long time and I've always coached this way, with a lot of enthusiasm, and I want our players to have that same enthusiasm and that same drive."
-- Charles Odum
Run-first, run-last Panthers can't find balance
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The past two weeks have proved that the Carolina Panthers can stay competitive with the NFL's best teams when get their running game going.
But if they need to pass, one of two things happen: The Panthers run the ball anyway, or throw without success.
A day after Carolina let a 17-3 lead slip away in a road loss to unbeaten New Orleans, coach John Fox on Monday defended a game plan he's used the last two weeks.
It involves seemingly running on almost every down, a way to limit Jake Delhomme's mistakes.
"That defense had caused a lot of turnovers, particularly in the passing game," Fox said of the Saints. "That was one of the reasons why we played the way we did. We didn't throw an interception."
Delhomme, who Fox contemplating benching after throwing 13 interceptions in six games, went a second straight game without a pick. But unlike a week earlier when the Panthers beat NFC West-leading Arizona without completing a pass in the second half, the Panthers couldn't sustain their run-first and run-last style against the Saints.
After building a 17-6 halftime lead by throwing five passes and running 22 times, the Panthers' ground game stalled. Carolina managed 52 yards on 17 carries in the second half, and Delhomme and the passing game couldn't make up the difference in a 30-20 loss that left the Panthers (3-5) with one more loss than all of 2008.
Consider the Panthers ran the ball on third-and-21, third-and-12, third-and-12 again and third-and-6 in the first half. In the second half, the Panthers had to throw, and couldn't convert.
Delhomme had two passes of longer than 20 yards in the game, including a 46-yarder to Steve Smith after the game was decided. Dwayne Jarrett, filling in for Muhsin Muhammad (knee) failed to come up with a well-thrown deep early in the fourth quarter when it was 20-20.
"We need to get more dangerous on offense," left tackle Jordan Gross said. "It's kind of the same old song. We need to do better in the passing game."
Delhomme's numbers were helped from late yardage after the game was decided. He finished 17 of 30 for 201 yards and no touchdowns in the first time this season the Saints failed to record an interception.
"I think we had a good formula and a good plan. At the end of the day we had three fumbles we lost, one in the passing game and two in the run game," Fox said. "I thought that was probably the difference in a close game. It really didn't have a whole lot to do with the passing game."
DeAngelo Williams rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns, but fumbled at the Carolina 1 to give the Saints a gift clinching touchdown for a 30-20 lead. Jonathan Stewart lost a fumble, and Delhomme coughed it up when he was sacked on fourth down with Carolina trailing 23-20 earlier in the fourth quarter.
Fox insisted Monday that he's not hesitant in letting Delhomme throw the ball, but acknowledged the Panthers need to become more balanced.
"I'm confident," Fox said, "that we can get better."
-- Mike Cranston
Even with week off, Vikings stretch NFC North lead
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings brought a souvenir back from their midseason vacation: an even bigger lead in the NFC North.
The latest sign of how well this Brett-Favre-at-quarterback season is going for the Vikings came on Sunday, when Green Bay and Chicago both lost and dropped three games behind Minnesota (7-1) with eight weeks left.
Not a bad way to spend the bye, huh?
"Shoot, that was the easiest games I think we've played," linebacker Ben Leber said, smiling. "We got to sit on the couch and watch the other teams lose. It benefited us this time, and hopefully we can control our own destiny from here on out and win some games."
Beaten by previously winless Tampa Bay, the Packers (4-4) are essentially four games behind the Vikings, who hold the tiebreaker by virtue of beating Green Bay twice.
The Bears (4-4) haven't faced Minnesota yet — a Nov. 29 visit to the Metrodome is their first meeting — but they are dealing with plenty of problems after a 20-point loss at home to Arizona.
"I'm more concerned about us moving ahead than somebody else losing, but that's a nice feature that happened," coach Brad Childress said. "If we play well this week, things have a way of adding themselves up."
A lot of players left town last week, enjoying the chance to sleep in and sit around, and others spent extra time with their families in town.
Childress was glued to the TV on Sunday like millions of other football fans around the country, flipping back and forth between various games.
"I actually chew my fingernails more when I watch other people play than when I watch us play, for whatever reason," he said.
Perhaps the best reason for the Vikings to be excited about November is what's ahead.
They have three straight home games against Detroit (1-7), Seattle (3-5) and Chicago, and none of those teams currently have winning records. It's always dangerous in the NFL to find comfort in the schedule, but it's also difficult to envision a more favorable start to the second half of the season.
With a few more wins, they'll be fighting to earn another bye week — for the first round of the playoffs.
"We're starting to get that swagger now, knowing that we're an elite team right now and knowing the talent we have and the promise we have," tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said. "We all know it. We all feel it: confidence in each other, knowing the next man is working as hard as you are."
Asked about the benefit of having three consecutive home games, Childress wouldn't even acknowledge it.
"I don't know anything about three in a row. I know we've got one in a row here against an NFC North opponent," he said.
Antoine Winfield's status is still uncertain. The Pro Bowl cornerback has missed the last 2½ games because of a right foot injury he suffered in the first half against Baltimore on Oct. 18. Childress said Winfield came out to the field and was "moving around" but didn't suggest he was close to returning.
"He's pushed it as hard as he possibly can under doctors' orders," Childress said. "The next part of it is getting out here and moving on this hard surface."
-- Dave Campbell
Bears DT Harris apologizes
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Saying he was embarrassed and that he has to control himself, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris apologized Monday for throwing a punch at Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Deuce Lutui.
Harris was ejected on the fourth play from scrimmage of Sunday's game after he and Lutui wound up on the ground on a run play. Harris apologized to teammates, Bears fans and to Lutui.
"I was embarrassed, especially for my actions," Harris said. "I apologized to him yesterday, called Larry (Fitzgerald) and had a chance to apologize to him. I just wanted to apologize to my fans first off, and the little kids out there that saw that action. I shouldn't have behaved in that manner, and I apologized to my teammates, and I'll make up for it."
The Bears' defense has big problems following a 41-21 blowout loss to the Cardinals and they start with Harris. The three-time Pro Bowl player could be suspended by the league.
"No excuse," coach Lovie Smith said. "Whenever you do something to get kicked out of a football game, a tough game like that where you need everyone, it's never a good thing. Tommie realizes he screwed up."
The Bears are 4-4 headed into Thursday night's game at San Francisco. Cornerback Charles Tillman (shoulder), safety Al Afalava (shoulder) and safety Kevin Payne (back) are nursing injuries.
Smith said he hopes to have Tillman available for San Francisco, but even at full strength, the Bears defense is trying to bounce back from giving up more than 40 points in two of the last three games with Harris mostly on the sideline.
He was benched for the Bears' 45-10 loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 25, apparently for not practicing hard enough, and was gone from Sunday's game almost as soon as it started.
"Tommie's a great player," linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said. "When Tommie's at his best, he's one of the best players in the NFL. With that potential comes a responsibility for this team. When he's not out there, that hurts us."
At the end of an Arizona running play, Harris and Lutui ended up on the ground and a replay showed Harris hitting Lutui near the face. The Bears got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and Harris got tossed.
"He did some unnecessary stuff during the game, but I mean I still have to be able to control myself," Harris said. "In the six years I've been here I've never done anything like that, and he kind of pushed me to my limits and I apologize for all that."
Harris wouldn't say what Lutui did, adding, "That has nothing to do with it. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I apologized to him as a man and it's over for right now."
Either way, Smith made it clear after the game and on Monday that he wasn't happy.
"I knew right away Tommie was sorry for his actions, but still, the actions stood," Smith said. "He didn't play a football game. He didn't help the Chicago Bears play (Sunday), and we just have to get past that."
Slowed in recent years by knee and hamstring injuries, Harris was suspended by the Bears for a game last season. And then came the benching against the Bengals.
Harris said he does not think he's wearing out his welcome with the team, although he can understand why outsiders might say he is.
"Is it unfair? No, it's not unfair at all for people to say that," Harris said. "People are going to be people. I just have to continue to keep approaching my job on a regular basis and be a professional and that's what I'm going to do."
-- Andrew Seligman
Calvin Johnson denies feud with Matt Stafford
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Lions coach Jim Schwartz says there's no feud between Calvin Johnson and Matt Stafford.
During Sunday's game against Seattle, television cameras caught what appeared to be uncomfortable exchanges between the receiver and quarterback.
Stafford threw five interceptions in the 32-20 loss. Johnson had two catches for 27 yards after missing the previous two games because of a knee injury.
"There's no issue there," he said. "You always want to be winning games and happy and cheerful, but goodness gracious, if you had a camera on every person on every play, you could try to read between the lines on a million things. There are times you need to talk things out, but there's no issue here with the players, and I don't understand why people are trying to create one."
Stafford didn't appear during Detroit's media availability, but Johnson was equally adamant that there wasn't a problem between the pair.
"I haven't seen the TV replays, because there's no reason for me to watch them — we're fine," he said. "People are blowing this way out of proportion. Trust me, no one is going to be happy during a game like that. If you win, all this goes out the window."
Seattle turned the ball over on its first two plays, and the Lions took advantage by building a quick 17-0 lead, only to be outscored 32-3 in the final three periods.
Detroit had the ball with 35 seconds left and trailing by 5, but Stafford's fifth interception was returned for the clinching touchdown.
"After watching the tape, it's hard to believe that we had a chance to win that game at the end," Schwartz said. "That was a game filled with errors on offense, defense and special teams. Based on the number of errors, it is amazing to me that we even had a chance at the end of the game."
The quick start and bad finish had Schwartz confused.
"Honestly, I don't know whether to look at it as glass half-full or glass half-empty," he said. "We took a cross-country trip, played in a loud place under adverse conditions and were up 17-0. There's positives there. The fact that we were up 17-0 and let it slip away, there aren't many positives that you can look at there."
Linebacker Ernie Sims, who pulled a hamstring, didn't have any mixed emotions.
"I'm sick and tired of losing," he said. "We couldn't have asked for a better start than that, and we still lost. It's really tough."
NOTES: Sims was unsure of the severity of his injury, and was scheduled for more tests Monday evening. "I've never had a hamstring pull before, so I don't know how to judge it. I'm hoping it won't keep me off the field." ... S Louis Delmas, who injured his right knee late in the game, said he was fine. "I just twisted it a little — I'm OK today," he said.
Arizona unbeaten on road, struggling at home
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals used to venture out of the desert virtually assured to come home a loser.
For years, they were NFL road kill, flattened in stadiums across the country.
Now, in a stunning role reversal, Arizona is 4-0 away from home after beating the Bears in Chicago 41-21 on Sunday.
"After 2½ years of being here and just getting killed for not being any good on the road, it's certainly nice to play better on the road," coach Ken Whisenhunt said on Monday. "Now, we have to play better at home. If we can do that, maybe we are on to something."
Inexplicably, the Cardinals are 1-3 at University of Phoenix Stadium heading into next Sunday's home game against Seattle. That's one more home loss than Arizona had last season en route to the NFC championship.
And the Cardinals needed a three-play goal-line stand at the finish in the one home game they did win this season, 28-21 over Houston.
So this week, the theme at Arizona's practices will be transforming whatever has led to that road success into a win at home.
"That is our focus," Whisenhunt said. "Our players are starting to understand that now."
The coach gave his players Monday off after Arizona scored more points in a road game than it had in a decade. The victory left the Cardinals 5-3 halfway through the season, with a two-game lead in the NFC West.
"Inconsistency is the thing that I probably dislike the most at this point," Whisenhunt said. "We have a number of games where if we don't make mistakes, we could be in a better position than we are in right now."
The Cardinals last won four straight on the road in 1982, six years before the franchise moved from St. Louis to Arizona. If you count last season's playoff victory at Carolina, it's five straight. The Cardinals haven't accomplished that since 1975.
The road wins — at Jacksonville, Seattle, the New York Giants and Chicago — have come by an average margin of 16.3 points.
To add some perspective on the historical nature of these events, the team entered this season 41-127 in road games since moving to Arizona in 1988.
That victory at Carolina in the second round of last year's playoffs was the turning point.
"Now we have a good routine when we travel. We know what we expect to do, and we know what our focus must be," Whisenhunt said. "Our team comes with an 'us-against-the-world' mentality, and it seems we play better when we have that mentality."
The coach liked the performance against Chicago in all three phases of the game.
The Cardinals scored on their first six possessions, something the franchise never has done, at least dating to the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. They had touchdowns on the first four, something the Cardinals hadn't done since 1980.
Arizona even got its moribund running game in gear, gaining 182 yards rushing, the most its had in five years.
"We were popping some runs out, getting 5 and 6 yards a carry," center Lyle Sendlein said after the game. "It gave us room on second down to be able to go deep. That really opens up our offense."
Kurt Warner tied a career high with five touchdown passes.
Whisenhunt believes the players want to carry that kind of performance over to the noisy home folks, who booed them loudly in a 31-21 loss to Carolina a little over a week ago.
He said he can't single out one thing that is leading to the home woes. But for some reason, the Cardinals make more mistakes there.
"Whatever it is, why ever we make those mistakes at home," he said, "that's something that we have to make our focus this week on eliminating."
-- Bob Baum
Seahawks live to see their next must-win game
RENTON, Wash. — Just when the Seahawks were feeling good about one of their few positive Sundays this shaky season, Monday arrived.
Seattle (3-5) rallied from 17-0 down at home Sunday, then needed Matt Hasselbeck's record-setting passing day to beat the lowly Detroit Lions. While that saved their season — for now — their first win in four weeks will mean nothing unless the Seahawks can now do things they haven't come close to pulling off lately: win on the road, and beat first-place Arizona.
"Right now, we know that our backs are against the wall," said Hasselbeck, after his team-record 39 completions in 51 attempts for 329 yards kept alive Seattle's flickering playoff hopes.
"All of our goals are still in front of us — but it's right now. If we screw one of these up, it's not going to be there forever. You only get so many chances. ... We've made it hard on ourselves, but we still have a chance. We're just going to have to do it the hard way."
For Seattle, the hard way is going on the road. They have lost by 13 points at San Francisco, by 17 at Indianapolis and by 21 at Dallas in three trips this season. Seattle is 2-11 in its last 13 road games, with unsightly scores including 44-6, 34-9 and 34-10.
The last time the Seahawks won a road game against a team that finished with a winning record was Dec. 3, 2006, in Denver.
Worse yet, it's been five years since the Seahawks won away from Seattle against a playoff team — on Dec. 12, 2004, at Minnesota.
Then there's this: coach Jim Mora said Monday that Hasselbeck will be limited for most of the practices before he starts Sunday against the team Seattle trails by two games in the NFC West.
Hasselbeck, who already has broken ribs, hurt his shoulder while making a tackle after he threw an interception on the first play against Detroit. He said he had to rely on short passes until his shoulder loosened some later in the game. He often threw almost sidearm to avoid more pain.
Mora said tests showed no structural damage in the shoulder, adding "it's just sore. He'll play."
But, again, the scary part is it will be on the road.
Asked if there is anything he can do differently this week to smooth his team's bumpy travels, Seahawks cornerback Josh Wilson laughed and said, "Yeah, pack my bags earlier."
Wilson clinched the win over Detroit with an interception of Matthew Stafford and a 61-yard return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining. It was one of five INTs thrown by the rookie top overall pick.
Wilson had an explanation for Seattle tying for the league low with three interceptions through seven games before Sunday.
"Well, if we play the Lions every week maybe we would have five interceptions," Wilson said, chuckling.
They won't get that luxury, or laugh, this weekend. Kurt Warner is no Matthew Stafford.
He is Arizona's savvy, ageless, two-time league MVP and 2000 Super Bowl MVP. On Oct. 18, Warner peppered the Seahawks for 32 completions in 41 attempts, for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Larry Fitzgerald, a beast outside for which Seattle's small secondary has no answer, caught a season-high 13 passes.
The Cardinals smacked Seattle 27-3, showing the gap between the former division champions and the current defenders of that title may be wider than the current standings show.
"They are an outstanding team," Mora said Monday. "They put up 41 points (Sunday) on an outstanding Chicago Bears defense. They have talent all over the field on offense."
Mora said Arizona's physical defense is the most underrated part of the team.
"We've got to maintain a sense of urgency," he said.
Given how much more monumental this weekend's task is for Seattle compared to the one Detroit presented, that shouldn't be too difficult.
-- Gregg Bell
Rams' Long relieved by first sack of season
ST. LOUIS — While waiting eight games for his first sack of the season, Chris Long insists he was not inundated with tips from his Hall of Fame father.
The St. Louis Rams' defensive end said he rarely goes a day without touching base with his dad, former Raiders great Howie Long. But the topics mostly are the usual father-and-son stuff, even if he's talking to a former star defensive end who went to eight Pro Bowls and racked up 84 career sacks, not counting 7.5 recorded as a rookie before the sack was an official statistic.
"I'm appreciative of some of the insights he's able to give me," Chris Long said. "But in this building there's enough football insight to go around. He just kind of plays the role of the father and somebody's who's gone through it."
Long was the second overall pick of the 2008 draft, and leads the team's linemen in tackles. But he was shut out in sacks before dropping the Lions' Matthew Stafford, which made the team's recent bye week a lot more relaxing.
Howie Long had 13 sacks in 1983, including five in one game against the Redskins. That single-game total matches his son's career total heading into Sunday's game against the unbeaten Saints.
Of course, Howie Long played for a much better team. There aren't many worse these days than the Rams (1-7), a sorry 6-34 since the start of the 2007 season.
Still, expectations are high for Chris Long given his lofty draft status.
"There's a lot of pressure being No. 2, probably 30 times more than being No. 5 or 10," Long said. "It's just the way it goes. My job is to play to my maximum ability and to my capability, and to take coaching and get better and better."
Long makes no apologies for his commitment and consistent energy level, but concedes getting the first sack was a major relief.
"When you turn on the tape you'll see I'm playing my butt off," he said. "I'll always be able to give that to this organization. But yeah, it's a big weight. I'm not going to lie, it's crazy to go seven games with a goose egg."
Rams coaches see a more complete player in Long's second season.
"You've got to remember, Chris a lot of times is going against the left tackle," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "He's a relentless player."
Just minus the keynote plays.
"You're playing better ball than last year and you've got less sacks," Long said. "You've just got to continue to try to fit in on defense and work as hard as you can and hopefully those numbers keep getting better as we continue to win some games and play better football."
The game has changed since Howie Long, a member of the 2000 Hall of Fame class, retired after the 1993 season. So Chris Long said his dad doesn't offer too much advice.
"He's a very realistic person and not one to overstep his bounds or get out of his lane," Chris Long said. "He has a good grip on reality. He understands the game has changed but he can still help me in some way.
"A lot of that is just being a dad, and being supportive."
The Rams got a bonus day of practice Monday, offering a chance for Spagnuolo to sprinkle in a bit of the Saints game plan. If St. Louis had played on Sunday, Monday would have been a day off.
Offensive guard Richie Incognito (foot) shed a protective boot for the first time but didn't practice and appears unlikely to return this week. Wide receiver-returner Danny Amendola returned to full duty after sustaining a concussion against the Lions.
Spagnuolo said the team wasn't in a rush to replace defensive back Anthony Smith, claimed by the Jaguars after being released for undisclosed reasons during the bye week.
-- R.B. Fallstrom
