The Cardinals were in a tough spot this week, having to travel across the country to avoid an 0-2 hole. All they did was roll out to a 31-3 lead before holding on to a 31-17 victory in Jacksonville.
Kurt Warner was taking a lot of questions about his inaccurate performance in Week One. All he did was complete 24-of-26 passes for 243 yards and two scores in a wildly efficient effort.
Warner didn’t play the fourth quarter because the game looked like a blowout, but he almost had to come back in when the Jaguars were a dropped touchdown away from cutting the lead to one score.
But no matter how it ended, this was a sweet victory for the Cardinals, who have righted the ship after a rough preseason. Many doubted whether the Cardinals could get it done. (Ahem.) And they did it in convincing fashion, the second straight week their defense showed signs of improvement.
Jacksonville moved the ball towards the end of the game, but Arizona essentially shut down Maurice Jones-Drew and David Garrard for most of the contest.
Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston also showed that they are back to full health, combining for 14 catches and 152 yards.
The Jaguars head to Houston next week, and will need a win to avoid a big early hole in the AFC South.
Both Garrard and coach Jack Del Rio may need to turn things around or start facing questions about their job security.