This week I'm looking at Monday night's San Francisco-Arizona game simply because it was so entertaining. Kurt Warner is having a great year and the Cardinals offense is potent, but it was three critical turnovers by 49er quarterback Shaun Hill that made the difference in the game.
San Francisco's kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game gave them a lead they would hold onto through most of the game. QB Shaun Hill threw two second-quarter TD passes to make the score 21-13 at halftime.
But late in the 3rd quarter a fumble gave Arizona the ball at the San Francisco 20. The Cardinals were only able to convert the opportunity into a field goal. Then in the 4th quarter an interception gave the Cardinals the ball at the San Francisco 5. This time, the Cardinals were able to cash in with a TD giving them the lead 29-24. It was this interception that really tipped the balance of the game.
Later in the 4th quarter another interception deep in Arizona territory cost the 49ers their best chance to win. Luckily for them, the Cardinals were forced to punt, giving the 49ers the ball with just over a minute remaining. A series of passes put San Francisco on the Arizona goal line. After a spike to stop the clock, the 49ers were stuffed on two runs as time expired.
Other exciting week 10 moments include the final seconds of the GB-MIN game, the SEA-MIA game, and last Thursday's DEN-CLE game.
The KC-SD game featured a decision by Herm Edwards to go for the 2-point conversion to win instead of a 1-point kick to tie. Even though the success rate for 2-point conversions is slightly less than 50%, I agree with his decision. Despite their rough day Sunday, San Diego is clearly the superior team. The difference in talent was going to catch up with the Chiefs at some point. It was worth rolling the dice at that point. And if you're a believer in "momentum," you'd have to conclude that KC would never have more of it than at that time.
WP graphs from the all week 10 games are here.