Arizona Cardinals: 7 Players Who Made an Impact in Sunday's 20-17 OT Win

Many times during their improbable run of six wins in seven games, the Arizona Cardinals (7-7) and their offense have found themselves in a second-half hole.

In fact, Arizona has trailed at halftime in each of its seven victories this season.

The same held true Sunday, as the Cardinals needed a late second-quarter touchdown pass from John Skelton to receiver Andre Roberts just to cut the deficit to 10-7 going into the break.

It was all Cleveland on the ground in the first half, as Browns running back Peyton Hillis—who suddenly finds himself healthy—rushed 15 times for 69 yards (4.6 YPC) and one TD. He was held in check the entire second half and finished with 99 yards on the day.

The second half was once again a thing of beauty for Arizona, and if not for a few players making a few big-time plays late in the game, there may have been a different outcome.

These are the players who made it possible.

John Skelton

Big John Skelton has become known for the way he starts a game. More often than not, that's quite unimpressive and usually lasts the entire first half.

Sunday, he began to change that.

In the first quarter, Skelton was a meager 4-of-8 for 33 yards. He looked rushed and seemed to force throws into coverage.

After that, he settled down and took what the defense gave him.

He went on to set career highs in both completions and attempts, going 28-of-46 (60.9 percent) for 313 yards, 6.8 YPA, one TD and one INT for a 79.3 rating.

Skelton set up the game-winning field goal from Jay Feely in overtime by delivering a perfect 32-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald down to the Cleveland 4-yard line. He seems to get better as the game progresses.

Perhaps he should be known for the way he ends a game. After all, it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.

P.S. Dear Ken Whisenhunt: Please run more no-huddles with Big John in the game. Thank you.

Todd Heap

Finally! Finally, we were all witnesses to why the Mesa, Arizona native was brought back home.

When Todd Heap arrived in the Valley of the Sun, everyone believed he would have a big year and lead the offense to bigger and better things—things not seen since Jay Novacek roamed the middle of the field in a Cardinals uniform in the late 1980s.

However, a hamstring injury kept him down and out for all of October and November.

In his return to the lineup, the former Arizona State Sun Devil hauled in a season-high seven passes for a team-leading 69 yards (9.9 YPC) and was the focal point of two scoring drives that helped Arizona get back in the game.

A few fans have called for him to be traded, but that's completely illogical. As long as he is healthy, he will be productive in the offense and will retire with the Cardinals in a few years’ time.

Andre Roberts

The two-year career of Andre Roberts has been extremely inconsistent. He has been ridiculed and lambasted in the media because of early-season drops, and fans have often wondered how he still starts alongside  Larry Fitzgerald.

He seems to perform at a high level only against the Dallas Cowboys for whatever reason—11 grabs for 221 yards (20.1 YPC) and two TDs in two games against Dallas.

However, Sunday he caught six passes for 60 yards (10.0 YPC) and one TD in the victory and seemed to benefit from the double coverage Fitzgerald was fastened with the entire game.

We finally saw a complete game from Roberts against someone other than the Cowboys.

Can he keep it up?

O'Brien Schofield

The game turned in by O'Brien Schofield would have been fairly dull and uneventful if not for one drive in the fourth quarter.

Arizona had only two sacks of Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace Sunday, and they came on consecutive plays with under nine minutes to go in regulation with the Cardinals down 17-14.

On 2nd-and-11 from the Cleveland 18, the Browns backup dropped back to pass, and Schofield got to him, bringing him down for a four-yard loss. On the very next play, he did it again—this time for a loss of nine.

Schofield also forced a fumble on the play. It was recovered by defensive end Calais Campbell at the 5-yard line and set up the game-tying 33-yard field goal from Feely.

Without that two-play burst from the one teammates call “O.B.,” Arizona may not have been able to tie the game, force overtime and get the eventual win.

This one’s for you, Scho.

Patrick Peterson

No, the rookie did not return another punt for a touchdown. If he had, you all would know because it would have been an NFL-record fifth time he had done so this season.

What Patrick Peterson did do, however, is set up the game-winning drive in overtime with a brilliant 32-yard punt return to the Cleveland 40-yard-line.

To that point, he had been given only two opportunities to make something happen—on six total punts. One yard on his first two chances.

That seems to be how Peterson lives: He either gains next to nothing, or he rips off 20 (or more). You can ask any fan, player or coach—they're just fine with that.

His coverage of Greg Little was forgettable; the play in overtime is what will be remembered.

The seventh punt that led to Arizona's seventh win.

Kerry Rhodes and Adrian Wilson

The best safety tandem in the NFL was reunited Sunday, as Kerry Rhodes returned from a broken foot he sustained during a Week 5 loss in Minnesota on October 9.

Eight games had passed with Rhodes on the shelf, and Adrian Wilson—though being praised by local media—wasn’t putting up the defensive numbers everyone had grown to expect of him.

Over those eight long weeks without his secondary mate, Wilson was forced to step up in pass coverage—a task normally taken on by Rhodes, allowing Adrian the freedom to roam near the line of scrimmage and make an impact in the run game and pass rush.

Though Rhodes did not play the entire game, he had a direct effect on both the game itself and on Wilson.

His stellar pass coverage did in fact allow Wilson to step up closer to the line, and Wilson responded with his best statistical performance of the season. He recorded a team-high eight total tackles and one pass defended and was a big help in stopping Hillis in the second half.

Rhodes also deflected a pass of his own.

It was on a deep pass down the sideline, and had he not leaped and made a great play on the ball at the last possible second, it may have resulted in a touchdown for Browns rookie receiver Greg Little.

The Arizona defense struggled at times Sunday, but overall it was another solid performance—led by Rhodes and Wilson.