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NFL SCOREBOARD: Recap
Recap | Box Score | This Week's Scoreboard
Arizona 21, Philadelphia 17
Posted: Sunday December 05, 1999 10:04 PM
Philadelphia Eagles
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Arizona Cardinals
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TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Jake Plummer did it again to the Philadelphia Eagles and in the process put the Arizona Cardinals back in the NFC playoff race.

Plummer scored on a one-yard keeper with 57 seconds remaining as the Cardinals rallied to beat the Eagles for the second time this season, 21-17.

In Week One in Philadelphia, Plummer led the Cardinals back from an 18-point third-quarter deficit for a 25-24 victory. This time, he brought his team back from 10 points down with under five minutes to play.

In just his third season, Plummer already has led his team to 11 come-from-behind wins in the fourth quarter.

Plummer struggled for most of the game but found his rhythm in the fourth quarter, completing 12-of-17 passes for 126 yards in the period. He tossed a four-yard TD pass to rookie David Boston with 4:31 left to bring the Cardinals within 17-14.

After the Cardinals stopped the Eagles on their next possession, Plummer completed the comeback. On 3rd-and-10, he found Frank Sanders, who made a diving catch of a 38-yard pass to the 1. The play was reviewed but Sanders was ruled in bounds. On the next play, Plummer plunged over.

"The character on this team is so amazing," Sanders said. "The guys just believe in each other and that makes us special as a team."

Plummer, who returned to the lineup in the second half last week against the New York Giants after missing four games with a broken finger, finished 20-of-37 for 179 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

"After playing so terribly for much of the game, you get sick of it," Plummer said. "And I flipped the switch myself and said let's go. The guys around me believe in me."

Arizona (6-6) won its fourth straight game and pulled within one game of first-place Washington in the NFC East. The Cardinals have been impressive within the division, posting a 5-2 mark.

"We had a lot of things happen fortunately for us in this ballgame," Arizona coach Vince Tobin said. "Some passes bounced off their hands on the final drive. But the bottom line is Jake (Plummer) made the play to Frank Sanders that got us down there.

That's part of what makes Jake, Jake."

Rookie Donovan McNabb tossed a pair of touchdown passes for the Eagles (3-10), who have dropped three straight road games after halting an 18-game winless streak away from home at Chicago on October 17. They are 1-20-1 in their last 22 games away from Veterans Stadium.

"These are really tough games when you get to this point and you have a lead and somehow mess it up and give the ball back or give the ball away," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "Those are the tough ones. We had opportunities. We had plenty of opportunities."

For the first time this season, the Cardinals scored a TD in the opening quarter and it came via their defense. With the Eagles driving, defensive back Kwamie Lassiter stepped in front of a pass by McNabb and brought it back 78 yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals have been outscored, 83-16, in the first quarter this season.

A gamble by the Cards midway through the second quarter did not pay off. On 4th-and-inches at their 31, they went for it but Plummer was stopped short on his sneak by linebacker William Thomas.

McNabb, who was making his third start, helped the Eagles cash in. He found running back Duce Staley with a 19-yard pass to the 12 and two plays later hit Chad Lewis with an 11-yard TD pass.

McNabb had a respectable afternoon, going 19-of-31 for 157 yards with an interception. He added 67 yards on nine rushes.

Philadelphia took a 14-7 lead with 43 seconds left before halftime. McNabb engineered an 11-play, 75-yard drive that he culminated by firing a 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie Dameane Douglas.

Plummer had a forgettable first half, completing 6-of-13 for just 46 yards and an interception.

The Eagles' defense again came up big in the third quarter. Rookie safety Damon Moore recovered a fumble by Sanders at the Arizona 29. McNabb converted a pair of third downs but the Eagles had to settle for Norm Johnson's 29-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead with 5:31 left in the period.


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