EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was the kind of game the New York Giants are starting to figure out how to win under new coach John Harbaugh.
It was the kind of game the Arizona Cardinals haven’t been able to finish under rookie coach Mike LaFleur.
The Giants celebrated the 40th anniversary of their 1986 Super Bowl championship team on Sunday, Oct. 4, and they punctuated it with a gut-punching 36-24 victory over the Cardinals at MetLife Stadium.
It makes you feel like it’s going to be at least 40 more years before the Cardinals even return to the Super Bowl, let alone win their first one.
Four shots. The Cardinals had four shots from the Giants’ 4-yard line to get into the end zone and win this game after the Giants’ Dominic Zvada kicked his third field
goal of the day — his second from 50 yards or longer — with two minutes, 11 seconds left to play.
Arizona was down by six points, 30-24. LaFleur had one timeout remaining.
That the Cardinals even got to the Giants' 4-yard line was almost pure luck. They wouldn’t have had officials not flagged Giants cornerback Deonte Banks on a phantom pass interference penalty against wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
“I thought you had to touch the guy for it to be pass interference,” Harbaugh said afterward. “But you know what? We didn’t bat an eye. Nobody flinched, nobody blinked, and we kept bringing the heat. The pass rush was there all day.”
Oh, Jacoby Brissett felt it. The Cardinals quarterback was constantly under pressure, which at least partly explains why he threw three straight incompletions when Arizona had four shots from the 4. He missed receiver Michael Wilson to the left, then to the right. On third-and-goal, Brissett targeted tight end Trey McBride to the left — never once looking elsewhere — and the pass was out of reach.
The Cardinals were suddenly a wreck. Everyone was on their feet as the home crowd roared with approval.
“You think that team was comfortable right there at the end on fourth-and-4 near the goal line with everybody in the building screaming? Absolutely not,” Giants running back Cam Skattebo, the former Arizona State star, said afterward. “That team couldn’t hear anything. They were discombobulated in their brains.”
That’s what it looked like, too. Especially on fourth down, the Cardinals’ last chance and the final straw.
Brissett took the snap, fired a pass toward Michael Wilson, and it was so underthrown that the Giants’ Banks easily intercepted it at the 2-yard line and returned the pick 98 yards for a touchdown.
Game over.
The Cardinals are 1-3, and with the Detroit Lions coming to State Farm Stadium in Week 5, the losses could quickly start piling up.
“We stuck with our plan in terms of what we all liked and lived with it,” LaFleur said. “And sometimes the results aren't what you want, so you've gotta go re-evaluate to see where we could've been better in the preparation phase.
“There's no script for this one. Obviously, no loss is fun. All three losses that we've had over the last three weeks have been different. I like to think I keep it real with these guys. This one's gonna sting. It's not gonna be the most fun ride home. And there's certainly things that I know I wish I would've done better.”
Perhaps one day, the Cardinals will win a game like this — one that gets funky with six touchdowns, six turnovers (three for each team), four field goals (three from 50 yards or longer) and a defensive TD.
And you know, when they have four chances from the opponent’s 4-yard line.
The Giants seem poised to win more games like this. The Cardinals do not. Not yet, anyway.
“Games like this sting,” said Wilson, who led Arizona with seven receptions for 95 yards. “It just goes to show you how hard it is to win in the NFL. You have to be at your best all the time. That's the hardest thing about the NFL, but also why everyone is in this business.
“It’s the most gratifying when you can — in those moments when you do make a play. There's no better feeling than that. So, we came up short today, but we'll respond.”
Will they? The Cardinals have now lost three straight games and 17 of their last 19 dating back to last season. They show glimpses of hope and some encouraging signs, but the scoreboard is quick to remind everyone of who they are.
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic .Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals haven't proven they can win these types of games
