Cardinals Don't Believe Closer is Better

With three minutes left in the game, the Cardinals got the ball on their own 15-yard line, down 16-13 to the Bills. John Skelton, in for the injured Kevin Kolb after the fourth play of the drive, leads the offense to the Buffalo 43-yard line where they stall on three straight incomplete passes. So, it's 4th-and-10 with 1:14 remaining, do you attempt the 61-yard field goal for the tie, or try to convert the 4th-and-long?

Groupthink in the NFL says attempt the field goal, but as those avid readers will certainly know, groupthink is often far too conservative. Here is the breakdown, via Brian's 4th-down calculator:

 

Observations: Thursdays' Rams-Cardinals Game

Thanks to a simple subscription to NFL Rewind, I bring you some observations from Thursday night's affair in St. Louis, featuring the Cardinals and the Rams in a division battle.

St. Louis

- Janoris Jenkins looked like a very capable corner, and given a year to get used to the NFL game, he could be an absolute stud. Combine Jenkins with Cortland Finnegan and the rush from Chris Long and Robert Quinn, and it's going to be very hard to pass against the Rams.