Patriots beat Cardinals despite 3 starters leaving with injuries

Patriots

Rhamondre Stevenson, Jack Jones, and DeVante Parker left with injuries. The Patriots still did enough to beat Arizona.

It was far from pretty, but the Patriots overcame several notable injuries in a 27-13 win over Arizona on Monday night. 

Rhamondre Stevenson [ankle], Jack Jones [knee], and DeVante Parker [head] all left the game with injuries and did not return. 

And somehow, that wasn’t the biggest injury news of the night. On the third play of the game, Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray slipped and fell, suffering what is feared to be a non-contact knee injury. 

The Patriots took advantage of the shorthanded Cardinals, posting 20 unanswered points after Arizona jumped out to an early 13-7 lead. Running backs Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris each scored their first career touchdowns. Raekwon McMillan returned a DeAndre Hopkins fumble for a touchdown. 

Mac Jones had a pair of strong throws to Hunter Henry for big gains. But he was visibly frustrated as the offense struggled to move the ball again. For much of the first half, the Patriots avoided throwing the ball deep. Focusing on a steady diet of screen passes, New England didn’t have a passing attempt longer than 13 yards until the second quarter. 

Still, it was enough to beat the Cardinals without Murray. 

Matthew Judon added 1.5 sacks, pushing his total to 14.5 for the season which is tied for the most in the NFL. Special teams standout Marcus Jones recorded his first interception on defense 

With the win, New England still has a glimmer of playoff hope. Tonight, they struggled for a half with a sub.500 team playing its backup quarterback before pulling away. The road will get tougher with the divisional games left on the schedule. 

Ultimately the Patriots went on a run that propelled them past the Cardinals. Here’s how it happened:

Fourth quarter

2:04: Pierre Strong rumbles forward for a 19-yard gain right before the two-minute warning.

2:31: Make that three sacks for Josh Uche, another impressive performance for the linebacker who has come on strong down the stretch for New England.

3:41: AJ Green is called for offensive pass interference, negating a catch that would have been a first down.

5:33: Josh Uche sacks Colt McCoy for an 8-yard loss.

6:49: Matthew Judon gets his first solo sack of the game, bringing his totals to 1.5 for the game and 14.5 for the season.

10:10: Matthew Slater nearly pinned the Cardinals on the one yard line on a punt, but he had one foot on the endzone line resulting in a touchback.

14:03: Pierre String scores on a 3-yard run. That’s 20 unanswered points for New England. Patriots 27, Cardinals 13.

14:48: Mac Jones finds Hunter Henry on a vertical seam for a big gain.

Third quarter

0:54: Patriots get a scare as Mac Jones completes a short pass to Agholor who appears to fumble the ball as he he’s hit. Arizona picks it up and runs it back for what is initially ruled a touchdown. But, an expedited review shows the pass was incomplete.

1:07: Marcus Jones gets his first career interception on an under thrown ball forced by a hit from Josh Uche.

5:32: Kyle Dugger jars the ball loose from DeAndre Hopkins and Raekwon McMillan scoops it up for a fumble return touchdown. Patriots 20, Cardinals 13.

6:38: Mac Jones hits Nelson Agholor in the hands on a third-down thrown, but the pass is dropped and the Patriots punt the ball.

10:48: Mac Jones hits Tyquan Thornton on third-and-10, but it isn’t enough for a first down. Nick Folk makes a 23-yard field-goal to tie the game. Patriots 13, Cardinals 13.

12:16: Pierre Strong takes a draw play up the middle for a 44-yard gain. Rhamondre Stevenson has been downgraded to out and will not return.

12:49: Screen pass to Marcus Jones is stuffed, and a block in the back call pushes the Patriots back even further.

14:47: Mac Jones connects with Kendrick Bourne for a 14-yard completion. First down Patriots.

15:00: Cardinals kick the ball off to the Patriots.

Second quarter

0:04: Nick Folk makes a 51-yard field-goal as the half ends. Cardinals 13, Patriots 10.

0:10: Mac Jones finds Hunter Henry for his longest completion of the night so far. Kevin Harris fumbles on the following play, but Mac Jones falls on it and the Patriots recover.

1:54: The Cardinals bring the heat, blitzing on third-and-long. Mac Jones is sacked to end the Patriots’ drive.

2:59: James Conner bullies his way into the endzone on an inside run, moving the pile and dragging Patriots defenders with him for the score. Cardinals 13, Patriots 7.

3:42: McCoy completes a 10-yard pass to Anderson on a drag route for a first down, putting Arizona in the red zone.

7:08: Patriots announce DeVante Parker and Jack Jones will not return. New England will punt to Arizona.

9:26: Rhamondre Stevenson returns to the game.

9:35: Prater hits another field-goal. Patriots 7, Cardinals 3.

11:19: Rookie running back Kevin Harris, who entered the game in place of Rhamondre Stevenson, scores his first career touchdown. Patriots 7, Cardinals 3.

14:52: Prater hits a 33-yard field-goal for the game’s first score. Cardinals 3, Patriots 0.

First quarter

0:18: Rhamondre Stevenson [ankle] and DeVante Parker [head] are questionable to return after leaving the game with injuries, the Patriots announce.

2:08: Cameron Thomas hits Mac Jones as he throws, resulting in an interception. McCoy and the Cardinals take over with great field position.

3:05: Marcus Jones, the cornerback and return specialist who has been making appearances on offense for New England recently, picks up an 11-yard gain.

4:08: Mac Jones hits DeVante Parker on a quick slant for a first down.

4:56: The Cardinals pin the Patriots inside their ten yard line with a punt.

7:05: Matthew Judon and Lawrence Guy team up for a sack on McCoy.

8:04: A play fake to Conner leads to a completion from McCoy, another first down for the Cardinals.

9:03: James Conner, starting just a few yards outside of Arizona’s endzone bounces out of a tackle and around the end for a chunk of yardage.

9:18: The Patriots are forced to punt after a pair of incomplete passes from Jones and a 1-yard gain from Rhamondre Stevenson.

10:28: Mac Jones’ first pass is a first-down completion to DeVante Parker over the middle. The Cardinals provide an injury update on Kyler Murray, saying the Arizona quarterback is questionable to return with a knee injury.

11:15: A big stop from Jack Jones, who made reached a pass a step quicker than DeAndre Hopkins to bat the ball away for an incompletion. Cardinals go for a field-goal, and Matt Prater misses a 50-yarder.

11:54: McCoy immediately leads the Cardinals to a first-down. A bad handoff caused a fumble, but the Cardinals were able to fall on it.

13:51: On the third play of the game, Kyler Murray is carted off the field with an injury. Appeared to be a non-contact leg injury, which caused Murray to writhe on the ground in pain. Colt McCoy takes over for Arizona.

15:00: Patriots kick off to Cardinals, Arizona starts it’s first drive after a 29-yard kickoff return.

Inactives, 6:45 p.m.

Patriots: DB Jalen Mills, OL Isaiah Wynn, WR Jakobi Meyers, DB Joshua Bledsoe, RB Damien Harris, LB Cameron McGrone, DT Sam Roberts.

Cardinals: WR Rondale Moore, DB Byron Murphy, QB Trace McSorely, DB Charles Washington, LB Jesse Luketa, OL Rsahaad Coward.

Pregame notes, 6:20 p.m.

After a two-game skid, the Patriots are on the outside of the AFC playoff picture looking in.

On Monday night, the Patriots [6-6] have an opportunity to get themselves back on track against the Arizona Cardinals [4-8].

To do that, New England will have to figure out how to put more points on the board. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said after New England’s recent loss to Buffalo that quarterback Mac Jones needs more time in the pocket. Jones said the Patriots have to find a way to throw the ball further down the field.

On defense, the Patriots have elevated a pair of linebackers — Jamie Collins and Cameron McGrone — for Monday’s game. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for New England’s defense which was unable to stop Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins.

They’ll look to fare better against Arizona’s Kyler Murray.

Will the Patriots handle their business and bring their record past back above .500? Follow along for live scores, analysis, and updates.