New York Jets vs Arizona Cardinals Box Score on Oct 17, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 17, 2016

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- David Johnson rushed for three touchdowns and 111 yards and the Arizona Cardinals won their second straight to even their record with a 21-3 victory over the sliding New York Jets on Monday night.

Johnson, who carried 22 times, scored on a run of 58 yards as well as two 2-yarders to become the first back to rush for three touchdowns against the Jets since LeSean McCoy did it to them in 2011.

Johnson's eight rushing touchdowns lead the league. Four players are tied for second with six apiece.

The win vaulted the Cardinals (3-3) into a second-place tie with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West and the Jets (1-5), losers of five straight, are alone in last place in the AFC East.

Carson Palmer returned to his role as the Cardinals' starting quarterback after missing the team's last game at San Francisco because of a concussion. He finished 23 of 34 for 213 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Palmer left the game in the fourth quarter, however, because of a strained hamstring and was replaced by backup Drew Stanton.

Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, returning to his home state, completed 16 of 31 passes for 174 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. The pick, Fitzpatrick's league-leading 11th of the season, was a critical one, too.

It came with the Jets moving the chains well during a long, time-consuming drive toward the end of the third quarter. But on third-and-7 from the Cardinals; 14-yard line, a pass intended for Brandon Marshall was intercepted by Arizona safety D.J. Swearinger.

The interception helped protect a 21-3 lead and the Cardinals converted their 13th forced turnover into a touchdown. Palmer directed a 14-play, 89-yard drive that consumed 7:26, capping it with a 9-yard scoring pass to Michael Floyd. It was the third touchdown reception of the year for Floyd, who has had trouble with dropped passes.

Jets coach Todd Bowles, who spent two seasons with the Cardinals as their defensive coordinator under head coach Bruce Arians, lifted Fitzpatrick with 8:40 left in the game and replaced him with Geno Smith.

It was the first time this season that Fitzpatrick hasn't finished a game.

Smith was 4 of 6 for 31 yards and no touchdowns. His sixth pass was intercepted by Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu.

The Cardinals are now tied with the Chiefs for the most interceptions (nine) in the league.

Arizona did something on Monday night it hasn't managed to do once during its first five games to start the season. They scored in the first quarter.

The only team that had yet to score at all in the first quarter, Arizona got around to doing so with 9:51 remaining in the quarter when David Johnson ran to his left, made a little cut and bounced outside on his way to a 58-yard touchdown.

It's Johnson's longest run of the season, but he wasn't done. He scored again on a 2-yard run to cap an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Though the Jets were in their goal line defense, Johnson, waiting 5 yards behind Palmer, wasn't even touched as he ran straight up the middle and easily made it to the end zone.

His two first-half scores were his 19th and 20th of his career, moving him ahead of Ottis Anderson for the most touchdowns by a Cardinals player in his first two NFL seasons. And Johnson still has 10 more games to play.

The Jets, playing without wide receiver Eric Decker for the rest of the season after shoulder surgery, had trouble finding any rhythm on offense early because of penalties. They were flagged eight times overall for 59 yards in the first half and could only manage a 39-yard field goal by Nick Folk.

A pass interference penalty on Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, followed by a slip by Peterson during Brandon Marshall's 36-yard catch and run, had New York in excellent field position. But a holding penalty, an incomplete pass and a short throw on third down forced the Jets to settle for three.

The Jets had three more possessions after that but couldn't get anywhere near Folk's range again as they trailed 14-3 at the half.

NOTES: Cardinals rookie defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche was active for the first time since the season opener. Coach Bruce Arians said Nkemdiche had been making far too many mental mistakes in practice. ... The Jets played without starting LB David Harris (hamstring), whose streak of playing in 121 consecutive games ended. It had been the seventh-longest active streak in the league. ... The Cardinals entered the game with a 27-7 record under coach Bruce Arians against non-division opponents, including a 17-1 mark against them at home.