Cardinals 20, Seahawks 16
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Kevin Kolb replaced an injured John Skelton in the fourth quarter and guided the Cardinals on an 80-yard touchdown drive Sunday as Arizona beat the Seattle Seahawks 20-16 at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Kolb completed six of eight passes for 66 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown to Andre Roberts with 4:59 left to play.
The Cardinals' defense Skelton won the starting job over Kolb in the preseason, even though the Cardinals have shelled out $20 million in salary and bonuses and Skelton barely makes $500,000.
Skelton looked OK in helping the Cardinals get three scoring drives. He sustained a right ankle injury, however, with less than nine minutes to play and had to be carted off the field.
The extent of his injury wasn't immediately known.
The Cardinals' defense, meanwhile, kept Seattle and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson from making a late comeback despite taking two pass-interference penalties deep in their own territory.
The Cardinals had a 13-3 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter following Jay Feely's second field goal of the day, this one a 31-yarder following a Seattle fumble deep in its own territory.
Arizona had a call reversed in its favor on that play and later, had an interception thrown by Skelton nullified because of an off-sides penalty on the Seahawks' defense.
It didn't go the Cardinals' way early in the game, as Skelton fumbled a handoff exchange with Ryan Williams on the team's second offensive play of the game, leading to a turnover.
Seattle grabbed a 3-0 lead on Steven Hauschka's 27-yard field goal. The Cardinals rebounded with a 75-yard drive on their second possession, but also had to settle for a field goal, a 21-yarder by Feely.
Arizona put together another drive on its next possession, as Skelton hit Andre Roberts three times for 31 yards and Roberts also ran a reverse for 15 more yards. The drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by LaRod Stephens-Howling.
Seattle quickly came back, though. Leon Washington returned the kickoff 88 yards to help set up the Seahawks' first touchdown -- a 10-yard pass from Wilson to Sidney Rice.
Hauschka then kicked field goals of 47 and 39 yards to give Seattle a 16-13 lead with 9:20 left in regulation.
Notes: The Cardinals' 6-foot-8 defensive end, Calais Campbell, got a hand on Hauschka's 50-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. It was the sixth block kick of Campbell's career. ... Cardinals running back Beanie Wells, who was added to the injury list Friday with a hamstring issue, finished with 14 yards on seven carries. ... Wilson finished the game 18 for 34 for 153 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His quarterback rating in his NFL debut was 62.5.
