Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett did a couple of things on Sunday that he had not previously done in his 17 starts with the team. He beat an NFC West team after losing eight consecutive games against them.
And in the Cardinals' 18-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams, he also led a game-winning drive for the first time.
Brissett showed some clutch play when it mattered most, something he had not previously shown he could do. He was 0-6 in one-score games, and in those seven games, he had seven opportunities to win the game at the end of regulation or overtime. He failed all seven times.
On Sunday, he didn't have to do much. Trailing 16-15 on their final possession, he only had one pass attempt, a 21-yard completion to Jalen Brooks. That,
plus a 15-yard penalty on the Rams for unnecessary roughness, advanced them to Rams' 29, which was already in field-goal range. After three run plays, gaining four yards, kicker Chad Ryland made the game-winning 43-yard kick. Brissett went 1-for-1 for 21 yards and had a one-yard run. The field goal was enough to win.
He finally had a fourth-quarter comeback and a game-winning drive.
What about the other times?
Jacoby Brissett's previous end-of-game failures
- In Week 6 in 2025 against the Indianapolis Colts, his first start for the Cardinals, he got the ball with 4:32 to go, trailing 31-27. He started the drive going 3-for-3 for 53 yards and had a 12-yard scramble, givinig them a first down in the red zone. He completed a three-yard pass, had an incompletion, was sacked and then, on fourth down, he threw an off-target incompletion to Trey McBride for a turnover on downs.
- In Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, trailing 27-23 with 1:50 to go, he completed his first two passes for 30 yards. After an incompletion, he had a 14-yard completion to running back Michael Carter, and then, at the Green Bay 26, he was sacked, scrambled for eight yards and threw two incompletions for a turnover on downs.
- In Week 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had two opportunities to win the game, once in regulation and once in overtime. At the end of regulation, after a 31-yard completion to Michael Wilson, giving them a first down at the 11, he threw an incomplete pass after the time was managed questionably (they had a timeout) and they kicked a field goal. In overtime, trailing 27-24, Brissett was sacked and then had two incompletions, ending the game; he went 4-for-6 passing for 29 yards in that drive, missing Xavier Weaver for an open throw to end the game.
- In Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, trailing 20-17 with 1:49 to go, they turned the ball over on downs, as Brissett was 2-for-4 passing for eight yards, throwing incompletions on third and fourth downs.
- In Week 16, trailing 26-19, Brissett and the Cardinals got the ball with 2:05 left in the game. He was picked off after two completions for 18 yards.
- This year, in Week 4 against the New York Giants, he got the ball with 2:11 to go, trailing 30-24. A pass interference call gave the Cardinals a first-and-goal from the four. Brissett threw incompletions on three consecutive plays before throwing a game-ending, fourth-down pick six.
In eight potential game-winning drives, he has generated one and one tie. However, when needing a touchdown, he has failed to do so every time.
Hopefully, this win over the Rams is sort of a breakthrough and he and the team can be better in such scenarios.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Jacoby Brissett led a game-winning drive for the Cardinals for the first time
