Arizona Cardinals: 6 Players That Made the Biggest Contributions in Week 9 Win

Led by backup quarterback John Skelton, the Arizona Cardinals managed to eke out a win against the resurgent St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

In a game where the Cardinals surrendered not one, but two safeties to the Rams and where points were nearly impossible to come by, a victory seemed almost too good to be true.

However, with the win, the Cardinals snap their six-game losing streak and move to 2-6 for the season.

In the interest of rewarding good behavior, over the next six slides we’ll give some kudos to the Cardinals players who made Sunday’s victory possible.

Early Doucet

For a wide receiver, adjusting to a new quarterback doesn’t always go smoothly. Sure, the routes the receivers run stay the same, but the timing and throwing accuracy in the passing game is different.

Early Doucet really stepped up today to help his team. Although he wasn’t able to find the end zone, he was twice able to help move the ball into field-goal position. He also contributed on the drive that led to the team’s only offensive touchdown late in the game.

With six receptions, he accounted for 78 yards. That was good enough to lead the team by over 20 yards.

Jay Feely

Until the fourth quarter, kicker Jay Feely was the only Cardinal to put a single point on the board. In fact, against the Rams, he was the team’s leading scorer.

He was called upon twice to complete stalled offensive drives, and both times he delivered. His strong leg also sent kickoffs into the end zone

His two field goals were good enough to keep the Cards in the game until the offense was able to finally figure things out. For that, he deserves a nod of acknowledgement.

Dave Zastudil

How often do NFL punters get acknowledged for their contributions to a team’s success? After all, they only come on the field when a team’s offense has failed to perform.

On Sunday, Dave Zastudil took the field on six different occasions against the Rams. On three of those punts, he managed to pin them inside their own 20-yard line. He averaged 42 yards per punt.

In addition to his contributions at the end of drives, he was called upon twice to deliver the ball to the Rams after safeties. Both times, he sent the ball sailing deep into Rams territory.

In all, Zastudil played a crucial role for the Cardinals defense by helping to keep the field long and forcing the Rams to earn their scores.

Daryl Washington

It can be easy to take Daryl Washington’s contributions to the team for granted. After all, making tackles is exactly what he’s supposed to do every time he’s on the field.

That being said, Washington had one of his better games of the 2011 season against the Rams. He chalked up eight tackles and two assists on the day.

His strong defensive contributions helped hold the Rams to just 13 points and gave the struggling offense the chance it needed to pull out a victory.

Larry Fitzgerald

Jay Feely may have scored the most points for the Cardinals offense on Sunday, but Larry Fitzgerald was a close second.

After three frustrating quarters, Skelton was finally able to connect with the team’s No. 1 wide receiver for a 13-yard touchdown reception to tie the game.

Thanks to Fitzgerald’s timely catch, the Cardinals were able to send the game into overtime.

Patrick Peterson

Once again, rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson demonstrated why he was the No. 5 overall draft pick in 2011.

He was all over the field on defense, bringing in the game’s only interception and playing Brandon Lloyd throughout the afternoon. He earned a few penalties, but he still played a solid game.

Of course, keeping points off the board and helping his team jockey for field position wasn’t all he did.

Peterson’s biggest contribution on the field was clearly the unbelievable 99-yard punt return in overtime to win the game. It was an amazing ending to a mediocre game.