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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 1:35 p.m., Sunday, September 14, 2008

NFL: Boldin's 3 TD catches help Cardinals rout Miami, 31-10

By BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kurt Warner looked like he did in his MVP days, Anquan Boldin certainly wasn't sulking over contract woes, and Larry Fitzgerald caught almost everything thrown his way.

The result was a 31-10 Arizona rout of the Miami Dolphins today that has the Cardinals 2-0 for the first time in 17 years.

Warner completed 19 of 24 for 361 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Boldin caught all three scores, a career high.

In all, Boldin had six receptions for 140 yards, a franchise record 22nd time he's passed the century mark. Fitzgerald, meanwhile, caught six for 153 yards, his 14th 100-yard game. It was the sixth time the pair had topped 100 yards in the same game.

Warner had a perfect 158.3 passer rating for the third time in his career, tying Peyton Manning for the NFL record.

Arizona's Edgerrin James gained 55 yards on 18 carries to become the 14th player in NFL history to surpass 15,000 career yards from scrimmage. The Dolphins (0-2) lost their 11th straight road game.

The Cardinals, who have won four straight dating to last year, led 14-0 in the first quarter, 24-0 early in the third and 31-3 in the fourth.

Boldin says he wants to be traded because the Cardinals didn't give him a new contract, but he vowed to continue to give it his all on the field. He's lived up to that promise, catching eight in the second half last week at San Francisco, then having an even better day in Week 2.

Warner completed his first nine passes for 221 yards, including two touchdowns to Boldin, and Arizona had a quick 14-0 lead. The completions included a 79-yarder to Boldin for the first touchdown and a 75-yarder to Fitzgerald to set up the second score.

It was the second time in Cardinals history that the team had two passes in a game of 75 yards or longer. The other came for the then-St. Louis Cardinals against Dallas on Oct. 13, 1974.

Warner had completed his last four passes in the team's 23-13 victory at San Francisco last weekend. That made his string 13 straight, third-most in franchise history and two shy of the team record.

After two penalties pushed Arizona back to its 21, Boldin ran past linebacker Akin Ayodele and was alone down the middle. Warner found him for a 79-yard touchdown play that put the Cardinals up 7-0 just 2:40 into the game.

The next possession brought another big play. This time, Warner threw to Fitzgerald, who broke one tackle and spun away from another on a 75-yard gain to the Miami 5. Three plays later, Warner threw to Boldin for the score and it was 14-0 with 5:40 still to go in the first quarter.

Leading 17-0, Arizona took the second-half kickoff and went 71 yards in 10 plays, culminated by Tim Hightower's 1-yard touchdown run that made it 24-0 with 10:29 left in the third quarter.

The drive was aided greatly by three Miami penalties. Arizona was stopped, and Neil Rackers' 47-yard field goal try was wide left. But the Dolphins were called for 12 men on the field.

Then a pass interference call on Andre Goodman against Fitzgerald in the end zone put the ball on the Dolphins' 1. Miami again held but Joey Porter was called for a facemask on a sack of Warner. That gave Arizona a first down at the 1 and led to Hightower's score.

Boldin's most remarkable catch was an 8-yarder for his third touchdown. The ball was thrown behind him but he somehow grabbed it between two defenders, and the Cardinals led 31-3 with 1:27 left in third.

Pennington's backup, rookie Chad Henne, directed Miami to its lone touchdown, an 18-play, 89-yard drive that ended with Ronnie Brown's 1-yard TD run on fourth down.

Pennington struggled to a 10-for-20 day for 112 yards.