Cardinals Fall Into Giant Hole

TEMPE, Ariz. —  Once again, the Arizona Cardinals couldn’t beat the New York Giants. As a result, the Cardinals once again may miss the playoffs.

Charles Way scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and Brad Daluiso kicked three field goals as the Giants beat the Cardinals, 23-19, on Sunday.

The Giants (5-8), who had lost four of their previous five games, hurt Arizona’s playoff chances by beating the Cardinals (6-7) for the fourth time in a row.

“These games always seem to come down to the wire,” said Giant defensive end Michael Strahan. “There’s just a slight difference between us, but it’s almost like whoever makes the biggest plays in the game is going to win.”

The Giants’ offense made the big play early--an 87-yard, first-quarter touchdown that started as a screen pass from Kent Graham to Tiki Barber. The defense took over in the second half, holding the Cardinals to nine yards rushing.

The loss dropped Arizona into a tie with New Orleans in the race for the final NFC wild-card spot. The Cardinals, who play the Saints in two weeks, haven’t made the playoffs in a non-strike year since 1975.

“You have to win out, I think,” Coach Vince Tobin said of Arizona’s playoff chances. “I have no way of knowing what’s going to happen. I know there’s three games left.”

The Cardinals an opportunity to take the lead in the closing minutes after J.J. McCleskey’s interception gave them the ball on the Giant 40-yard line.

Arizona drove to the 13-yard line, but Rob Moore came down out of bounds on a catch in the end zone and linebacker Corey Widmer knocked down a pass intended for Frank Sanders on fourth down with 1:54 left.