Missed FG dooms Cardinals, overshadows Fitz's big night
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Larry Fitzgerald held up his end, moving his name up the record books while proving he's still got it at 33.
It wasn't enough for the Arizona Cardinals in their opener.
Despite a sometimes-spectacular night by Fitzgerald, the Cardinals opened the season with a 23-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday night after Matt Catanzaro missed a 47-yard field goal in the final minute.
"We should have won the game," Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. "As poorly as we played, we should have still won."
The snap from rookie long snapper Kameron Canady was low and holder Drew Butler didn't get the ball in terrific position. But Catanzaro was making no excuses.
"Just an old-fashioned miss," Catanzaro said. "I'll make the next one."
Arians said: "It was a low snap. Drew got it down and he (Catanzaro) pulled it."
The miss came after Jimmy Garoppolo, in his first NFL start in place of the suspended Tom Brady, directed the Patriots from their own 19 to the Arizona 15 to set up Stephen Gostkowski's 23-yard field goal for what proved to be the winner with 3:44 to play.
Garoppolo completed 24 of 33 passes for 264 yards with no interceptions. He never seemed rattled.
"When you have confidence in your teammates and they have confidence in you, it's easy to stay poised," he said.
8 catches.
— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2016
81 yards.
2 TDs,
Every catch from @LarryFitzgerald's stellar night. ? #NEvsAZ https://t.co/YpLBENQ7Xp
Coach Bill Bilichick wasn't ready to crown Garoppolo the next Brady, though.
"He made some good plays. It is not perfect but he made a lot of good plays," Bilichick said.
Arizona's Carson Palmer threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns, both to Fitzgerald.
In his 13th season, Fitzgerald looked as if he was 23 not 33, catching balls in traffic, shedding tacklers to add multiple yards after the catch.
Fitzgerald extended his NFL-record streak to 180 games with a catch on a grab on Arizona's opening drive and kept snaring balls from Carson Palmer.
.@LarryFitzgerald does it AGAIN!
— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2016
This incredible grab gives the @AZCardinals the lead! #NEvsAZ https://t.co/X8rtfHK5rF
"We had it going a little bit, but nothing sustained," Fitzgerald said. "We have to find a way to be able to get it going and maintain the positive drives to be able to score."
Fitzgerald moved up to a tie for 11th on the NFL's career touchdown list with a 3-yard score in the second quarter and lit up the highlight reels with an over-the-shoulder 1-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter.
"That's the GOAT right there," Cardinals tackle D.J. Humphries said. "He's always going to show up."
The second TD was the 100th of Fitzgerald's career, moving him into a tie with Steve Largent and Tim Brown for eighth place.
Fitzgerald finished with eight catches for 81 yards, yet it wasn't enough.
"Obviously, we would have loved to be able to get down and score a touchdown, but we weren't able to do that," Fitzgerald said. "That ended up costing us the game."
Not only were the Patriots without Brady, suspended for his role in "deflategate," but they also didn't have tight end Rob Gronkowski, defensive end Rob Ninkovich and two starters on the offensive line.
Again, Garoppolo talked about that Patriot confidence.
"Whoever is out there we have confidence in one another," he said. "That is a good thing we have going for us."
A remarkable 45-yard run by David Johnson set up a 2-yard, sliding, over-the-shoulder touchdown catch by Fitzgerald that gave the Cardinals their only lead of the night, 21-20, with 9:46 remaining.
DAVID. JOHNSON.
— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2016
Are you kidding?!?
The @AZCardinals RB turns a loss into an incredible run! ? #NEvsAZ https://t.co/cbXiAl3zhA
"We came out too slow," Palmer said, "and obviously there when you have to win it with a late field goal, you're obviously behind the 8-ball."
Ex-Patriot Chandler Jones sacked Garoppolo on the first play of New England's next possession, but the young quarterback still set up the winning kick by Gostkowski, who also booted a 53-yarder.
"I am really proud of our team tonight," Belichick said. "I thought we got great effort from all three phases. We played a good complimentary game."
A holding penalty hampered the final Arizona drive but a pass to Jaron Brown put the Cardinals within field-goal range. The snap was low and Catanzaro booted the ball to the left of the uprights.
New England, a five-point underdog, took the lead on its first possession and scored again to start the second half.
Up 10-7 at the break, the Patriots took the second-half kickoff and went 70 yards in nine plays. Rookie cornerback Brandon Williams was beaten badly for the second time on Garoppolo's 28-yard pass to the Arizona 8. LaGarrette Blount bulled it in from there and the Patriots led 17-7 with 10 minutes left in the first quarter.
The first two Arizona touchdowns followed New England turnovers.
Johnson's remarkable run featured about every tool in the running back kit.
He jump cut into the line, spun away from a would-be tackler, put his hand on the ground to steady his balance and stiff-armed another defender before racing down the sidelines. That set up a pretty over-the-shoulder catch by Fitzgerald, the 100th TD reception of his career.
"I thought I was going to take it to the house," Johnson said. "I didn't see the guy behind me. Hopefully it was a defensive lineman and not a linebacker.
Garoppolo got off to a fast start, overthrowing the receiver on his first pass then completing four straight for 75 yards. He took advantage of blown coverage by Williams to throw to a wide open Chris Hogan for 37 yards and a touchdown .
On their second possession, the Patriots drove from their 8 to the Arizona 29 and Gostkowski's 47-yard field goal made it 10-0.
The only turnover of the first half led to Arizona's lone first-half score.
Garoppolo took a hit from Markus Golden and fumbled. Jones, acquired in an offseason trade with New England, recovered for Arizona at the New England 40.
A celebration dance by Jones and D.J. Swearinger drew a 15-yard penalty after the turnover, but the Cardinals still drove for a score.
Palmer threw 2 yards to Fitzgerald to cut the lead to 10-7 with 6:20 left in the first half.
