Posted at 10:46 a.m., Sunday, October 7, 2007
NFL: Warner relieves injured Leinart, Cards win
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS - A battle of backup quarterbacks was decided, predictably, by who made the biggest mistake.
Kurt Warner produced three touchdowns, one in his typical relief role and two more after Matt Leinart was sidelined by a collarbone injury, and Rod Hood returned an off-target pass by Gus Frerotte 68 yards for an easy go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter of the Arizona Cardinals' 34-31 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
Warner and Edgerrin James scored controversial touchdowns on short runs, helping the Cardinals (3-2) win for the third straight season in their former home base.
Frerotte made his first start since the end of 2005 in place of Marc Bulger, who has two broken ribs, and threw three touchdown passes for the winless Rams (0-5). That doubled the meager season touchdown output for a struggling offense that had only four opening-day starters in their usual spots and went 32 drives without a touchdown before Frerotte's 16-yard touchdown pass to Drew Bennett on the first play of the second quarter.
But Frerotte also threw three interceptions and his gaffe on a pass intended for Randy McMichael led to Hood's clear-sailing jaunt with 13:47 to go that trumped the positives. Another pick by Al Wilson on a leaping deflection that he then gathered in and returned 20 yards, led to a clinching 7-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with 3:11 to go that made it 34-23.
