Cardinals Put New Faces in All the Right Places

The Arizona Cardinals are trying to build a new winning image. They got a boost Sunday from two new players.

Three, if you count Kent Graham.

Graham, starting his fifth consecutive game after beating out Boomer Esiason, was 17 for 26 for 146 yards and a touchdown in a 13-9 victory over Tampa Bay. He also was the top Cardinal rusher, scrambling for 40 yards on six carries to keep drives alive.

“We’re making the right strides,” he said after helping the Cardinals (3-4) win for the third time in their last four starts.

“We knew the guy could scramble a little bit, but obviously not that much,” said Buccaneer safety John Lynch.

Matt Darby and rookie Tommy Bennett came up big in the fourth quarter to help defeat the Buccaneers (1-6).

Darby, acquired from the Buffalo Bills, blocked an extra point after Tampa Bay’s only touchdown, and Bennett stopped Tampa Bay on two consecutive pass plays to preserve a 13-9 victory.

Greg Davis kicked field goals of 22 and 37 yards for Arizona, and Graham threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Larry Centers as the Cardinals took a 13-3 lead. Mike Alstott’s one-yard run at the end of a 70-yard drive cut it to 13-9 with 7:34 left in the game.

That’s when Darby sliced across from the left side to get a hand on Michael Husted’s point-after attempt.

“There was a big gap between their end and their tackle, so I knew I had a shot,” Darby said.

The Buccaneers got the ball back at their 12 with 3:18 left, but gained only 18 yards. On third and nine, a pass to Jerry Ellison gained five yards before Bennett stopped him, and Bennett then knocked down a fourth-down pass.