Snake-Bitten Graham Has Better Luck

TEMPE, Ariz. — The way the Arizona defense was playing, the Cardinals didn’t need much magic on offense. Kent Graham gave them barely enough.

Graham, sidelined for two games because of leg injuries, scored two touchdowns on one-yard plunges in the final 3:10, and the Cardinals (2-7) ended a losing streak at six games with a 31-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Graham got the call in the fourth quarter to replace rookie Jake Plummer, who earned his first start after coming off the bench and directing a 98-yard drive against the Eagles in a 13-10 overtime loss in Philadelphia on Oct. 19.

Home fans cheered when Graham had to come out of an Oct. 12 game against the New York Giants with a sprained right knee and ankle, and they booed this time when he replaced Plummer, a former Arizona State star.

“It motivates you,” Graham said. “I just had to focus on my job. I wanted to do the best with the situation that I was in.”

Cardinal Coach Vince Tobin wouldn’t say who would get the next start.

Plummer was seven for 18 for 132 yards and one touchdown, but fumbled and threw an interception on Arizona’s last two possessions of the third quarter. His fumble on a sack by Hollis Thomas led to Philadelphia’s go-ahead touchdown, an 18-yard pass play from Ty Detmer to Freddie Solomon with 3:32 left in the third quarter.

At the time, Eagle Coach Ray Rhodes’ decision to replace ineffective Rodney Peete with Detmer to start the second half looked like a game-saver.

But the Eagles (4-5) were hurt by 15 penalties for 140 yards, the most damaging being a holding call that wiped out Chris Boniol’s 27-yard field goal with 7:00 left in the game.

Boniol then hit the upright from 37 yards, leaving the Eagles with a 21-17 lead.