Arizona Cardinals: 5 Players Who Stepped Up in Week 4

There's no getting around the Arizona Cardinals' 1-3 start. It's done. It happened.

The Cardinals feature a secondary that appears to be playing flag football rather than tackle football and an offensive line that is apparently training to be matadors.

However, despite popular opinion, all is not lost in the desert. 

While Arizona wasn't able to stave off Eli Manning and the New York Giants' fourth-quarter passing attack, a handful of Cardinals stepped up their game and showed there's hope for the franchise despite the 31-27 loss.

During Arizona's third straight last-minute defeat, five Cardinals separated themselves from the pack.

Let's take a look at the five Birds who left it all out on the field Sunday afternoon.

Beanie Wells Comes Back Strong

Last week, Beanie Wells sat out the tilt against Seattle with a hamstring injury.  

Boy, was he missed.

At halftime, Wells had rushed 12 times for 54 yards—a solid 4.5 yards per carry.  

Things got even better in the second half. Wells toted the rock 15 more times, gained 84 more yards and chipped in—a franchise record-setting—three touchdowns.  

Typically, Wells deploys his stiff-arm—which more resembles Sonny Liston's jab than a stiff-arm—to knock "tacklers" face-first to the ground. This Sunday, Wells chose to get a little more personal with the Giants. 

On Wells' first touchdown, Corey Webster so desperately wanted to tackle Wells at the goal line.  Wells, and his shoulder, had other plans.  

Gripping the pigskin tight, Wells lowered his shoulder and in a split second turned Webster into a crash-test dummy.  Upon impact, Webster jerked back, losing three things: the tackle, his helmet and his pride.  

With his pivotal performance, Wells showed those same shoulders can carry this team; they just have to be used.

It's perplexing why offensive coordinator Mike Miller didn't utilize Wells during the Cardinals' final drive.

Arizona not only had 2:39 on the clock, but also had the two-minute warning and two timeouts to stop the clock.  

Wells, Arizona's most productive offensive player, touched the ball once (for an eight-yard gain) during the eight-play drive.  

Maybe next week.

Calais Campbell's Hustle Is Unmatched

At 6'8" and 300 pounds, Calais Campbell bookends the Arizona defensive line.  

Against the Giants, Campbell displayed the fierce competitiveness needed for Arizona to dominate in the trenches. On the Giants' first series of the game, Eli Manning dropped back to pass. From the right side, Campbell charged after Manning only to see him dump it off to Ahmad Bradshaw on the left side.

Undeterred, Campbell gave chase.  

Campbell ran down Bradshaw and executed a textbook tackle to knock the ball loose. Campbell's forced fumble led to an Arizona field goal.  

In the third quarter, Campbell and Bradshaw met again.  

This time, it was on 3rd-and-1. In an extraordinary effort, Campbell managed to grab Bradshaw's jersey and drag him to the ground. This stop led to Wells' second touchdown.

Campbell brought—and will continue to showcase—a drive that will have offensive coordinators game-planning around him.

Darnell Dockett Steps Up for Cardinals

Darnell Dockett was relentless against the New York Giants.  

Dockett, and the defensive line, were responsible for holding the Giants' typically strong rushing attack in check all game. Due largely to Dockett, Arizona allowed only 57 rushing yards and kept Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs to a combined 2.7 yards per carry average.  

Dockett also recovered a critical fumble late in the third quarter that led to Wells' second touchdown.

With the defensive line established, it's time for the young secondary to step up.

The Rookie Levels Eli Manning

David Carter, a rookie defensive tackle out of UCLA, stepped up for Arizona against the Giants.  

Carter compiled three tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.  

Late in the third quarter, Carter put on a "swim move" mini-clinic—much to Giants' center Kevin Boothe's dismay. Carter freestyled around Boothe and strip-sacked Manning, causing him to fumble.  

Fellow defensive lineman Dockett pounced on the fumble, which led to one of three Wells touchdowns.  

On Sunday, Carter showed that even though the defensive unit may be young, it has promise to be great.   

Larry Fitzgerald Continues to Dominate

Kevin Kolb looked to Larry Fitzgerald on 11 passes, a team-high against the Giants. Fitzgerald grabbed eight of those 11 passes for 102 yards.

Fitzgerald also snatched a 48-yard pass from Deion Grant that placed him No. 1 in receiving yards for the Cardinal franchise. Fitzgerald's second and third effort on that play mirrored his determination on every play against the Giants.  

Fitzgerald not only stepped it up against the Giants but has consistently stepped up for the Cardinal franchise.

In addition to Fitzgerald's on-the-field dominance, he also makes this list because of his efforts off the field.  

During the month of October, Fitzgerald is donating $1,000 for each of his catches and $10,000 for each touchdown to help fight breast cancer. 

I can't think of a better way for a Cardinal to step up.