Tupa Passes Cardinals Past Patriots : Interconference: He throws for 312 yards. A home crowd of only 26,043 shows up to see 24-10 win.

All Tom Tupa needed was a chance to prove he could be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Tupa, shaking off the stigma of being a backup, passed for a career-high 312 yards and three touchdowns Sunday as the Phoenix Cardinals beat the New England Patriots, 24-10.

“It takes a great quarterback to have a chance in the NFL, and we have a chance,” Cardinal Coach Joe Bugel said.

Tupa inherited the starting job in the preseason when Timm Rosenbach was lost because of a knee injury.

Tupa had made only two starts in three previous seasons. His high-yardage game had been 266 against Philadelphia--and he had six passes intercepted in that one.

But in his fifth consecutive start this season, Tupa connected on touchdown pass plays of 17 yards to Ernie Jones, 15 yards to Johnny Johnson and 62 yards to Ricky Proehl.

“We made a lot of third-down conversions, and we got the ball in the end zone, which is what we have to do,” Tupa said. “We can’t keep settling for field goals.”

Greg Davis completed the scoring with a 47-yard field goal after linebacker Freddie Joe Nunn recovered a fumble by Hugh Millen.

The Cardinals (3-2) got the victory before a crowd of 26,043--the smallest crowd to watch them play in Sun Devil Stadium since the team moved from St. Louis before the 1988 season.

The smallest crowd in four years came one week after the second-largest crowd--68,814--watched the Dallas Cowboys defeat Phoenix, 17-9.

Jon Vaughn, a rookie running back who had 61 yards in seven carries, scored the only touchdown for the Patriots (2-3) on a 99-yard kickoff return. It was the longest kickoff return for the Patriots since Raymond Clayborn set the team record with a 101-yard return against Baltimore on Dec. 18, 1977.