Plummer Ends It on High Note

Jake Plummer wrapped up his rookie season in style.

Plummer took the Arizona Cardinals 80 yards in a model two-minute drill for a touchdown, then ran for the two-point conversion in a 29-26 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The Cardinals never led until Plummer found Larry Centers alone in the end zone with five seconds to play.

“It shows what this team is made of,” Plummer said. “We never quit and we never believed we couldn’t get there.”

The Cardinals (4-12) avoided their worst season since 1959 with the victory, but lost a shot at the No. 1 draft pick in 1998 because Indianapolis finished with a 3-13 record. Arizona would have had the top pick because of a softer schedule.

“Guys really get tired of losing,” Coach Vince Tobin said about a season in which the Cardinals lost three of four overtime games and four others by three points or less. “It has been so depressing, but it’s good to end on a positive note.”

Plummer passed to Chris Gedney for a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter and ran one yard for another score in the second.

But Chris Chandler connected with Bert Emanuel on a 38-yard touchdown play and then with Terance Mathis on 17-yard score, and Morten Andersen kicked four field goals to give the Falcons (7-9) a 26-14 lead with 8:41 to play.

Plummer then completed passes to Rob Moore for plays of 15, 10 and 24 yards to set up his 21-yard scoring pass to Moore with 4:55 to play. That cut the deficit to 26-21.

Moore had seven catches for 91 yards and set a Cardinal record for receiving yards in a season with 1,584.

The Cardinals got the ball back on their 20 with 1:52 to play, and Plummer squeezed 12 plays into the final drive.