1996 Arizona Cardinals season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Arizona Cardinals 1996 7–9 4th NFC East Vince Tobin Jim Fassel Dave McGinnis Bill Bidwill Sun Devil Stadium Did not qualify FB Larry CentersWR Rob MooreCB Aeneas Williams FB Larry Centers (1st team)CB Aeneas Williams (2nd team) Cardinals seasons The 1996 Arizona Cardinals season was the franchise's 98th season, 77th in the National Football League and ninth in Arizona. The team improved upon their previous output of 4–12, winning seven games.1996 Arizona Cardinals Despite this improvement, the Cardinals failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourteenth consecutive season. The low point of the season was providing a notorious New York Jets team with its only win in front of fewer than thirty thousand people. This was the first time the Cardinals had opposed the Jets since 1978 (it was also the first time the Jets visited Arizona and the Cardinals' first home game in the series since 1971).Arizona Cardinals v New York Jets The reason for this is that before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team’s division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season; also, from 1977-93, teams which finished fifth in a five-team division would play only two interconference games the next season.History of the NFL’s Structure and Formats This was Boomer Esiason's only season with the Cardinals as he would re-sign with the Cincinnati Bengals after this season. Offseason NFL draft 1996 NFL draft 1996 Arizona Cardinals 1 3 Simeon Rice Defensive end Illinois yes yes 2 32 Leeland McElroy Running back Texas A&M yes no 3 64 Johnny McWilliams Tight end USC yes no 4 112 Aaron Graham Center Nebraska yes no 5 137 James Dexter Offensive tackle South Carolina yes no 5 161 Harry Stamps Offensive tackle Oklahoma yes no 5 162 Dell McGee Cornerback Auburn yes no 6 169 Mike Foley Defensive end New Hampshire no no 7 212 Jarius Hayes Tight end North Alabama yes no no Undrafted free agents + 1996 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeFred BrockWide receiverSouthern MissMark BultertieldQuarterbackStanfordArt CelestineCornerbackNew MexicoTom ClaroOffensive LinemanHoly CrossKevin JordanWide receiverUCLAAlle LarsenKickerVirginia TechRyan LeahyOffensive LinemanNotre DameRonald McKinnonLinebackerNorth AlabamaErvin WhiteheadWide receiverWestmar Personnel 1996 Arizona Cardinals President – Bill Bidwill Vice president – Larry Wilson Assistant general manager – Joe Woolley Assistant to the president – Bob Ferguson Director of pro scouting – Keith Kidd Director of college scouting – Bo Bolinger Head coach – Vince Tobin Offensive coordinator – Jim Fassel Running backs – Jim Skipper Wide receivers – Vic Rapp Tight ends/quality control – Geep Chryst Offensive line – Carl Mauck Defensive coordinator – Dave McGinnis Defensive line – Joe Greene Linebackers – Glenn Pires Defensive backs – Larry Marmie Special teams – Al Everest Strength and conditioning – Bob Rogucki Roster 1996 Arizona Cardinals 53 5 5 15 Stoney Case  7 Boomer Esiason 11 Kent Graham  5 Chad May 37 Larry Centers FB 36 Ryan Christopherson FB 32 LeShon Johnson 30 Leeland McElroy y KR 40 Derrick Moore running back 45 Cedric Smith American football FB 82 Stevie Anderson 84 Marcus Dowdell PR 83 Anthony Edwards American football 85 Rob Moore American football 81 Frank Sanders American football 80 Pat Carter 89 Jarius Hayes y 87 Johnny McWilliams y 75 Lomas Brown T 62 Mike Devlin American football C/G 64 James Dexter y T 54 Aaron Graham y C 66 Eric Jonassen T 73 Matt Joyce American football T 60 Anthony Redmon G 78 Joe Staysniak G/T 68 Joe Wolf American football T 63 Michael Bankston DE 76 Jerry Drake American football DT 92 Eric England gridiron football DE 96 Brad Ottis DE 79 Simeon Rice y DE 98 Eric Swann DT 94 Bernard Wilson American football DT 58 Eric Hill American football MLB 56 Terry Irving OLB 59 Seth Joyner OLB 52 Wesley Leasy OLB 55 Devon McDonald OLB 57 Ronald McKinnon American football y MLB 95 Jamir Miller OLB 46 Brent Alexander FS 28 Tommy Bennett y SS 23 Ronnie Bradford CB 43 Matt Darby American football SS 44 D. J. Johnson cornerback, born 1966 CB 42 Kwamie Lassiter FS 47 JJ McCleskey CB 27 Tito Paul CB 35 Aeneas Williams CB  3 Kevin Butler American football K 10 Jeff Feagles P 86 Trey Junkin LS 90 Blaine Berger y DT IR 65 Ernest Dye T IR 67 Duval Love G IR 70 Lance Scott C IR 74 Rob Selby G IR 16 Fred Brock y WR 61 Ryan Leahy y G 24 Dell McGee y CB 69 Leslie Ratliffe y T 17 Michael Watkins wide receiver WR Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 1 at Indianapolis Colts L 13–20 0–1 RCA Dome 48,133 2 September 8 Miami Dolphins L 10–38 0–2 Sun Devil Stadium 55,444 3 September 15 at New England Patriots L 0–31 0–3 Foxboro Stadium 59,118 4 September 22 at New Orleans Saints W 28–14 1–3 Louisiana Superdome 34,316 5 September 29 St. Louis Rams W 31–28 (OT) 2–3 Sun Devil Stadium 33,116 6 Bye 7 October 13 at Dallas Cowboys L 3–17 2–4 Texas Stadium 64,096 8 October 20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 13–9 3–4 Sun Devil Stadium 27,738 9 October 27 New York Jets L 21–31 3–5 Sun Devil Stadium 28,088 10 November 3 at New York Giants L 8–16 3–6 Giants Stadium 68,262 11 November 10 at Washington Redskins W 37–34 (OT) 4–6 RFK Stadium 51,929 12 November 17 New York Giants W 31–23 5–6 Sun Devil Stadium 34,924 13 November 24 Philadelphia Eagles W 36–30 6–6 Sun Devil Stadium 36,175 14 December 1 at Minnesota Vikings L 17–41 6–7 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 45,767 15 December 8 Dallas Cowboys L 6–10 6–8 Sun Devil Stadium 70,763 16 December 15 Washington Redskins W 27–26 7–8 Sun Devil Stadium 34,260 17 December 22 at Philadelphia Eagles L 19–29 7–9 Veterans Stadium 63,658 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: at Indianapolis Colts Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 1: Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary September 1 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST Cardinals 3 3 0 7 Colts 0 10 0 10 RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana 48,133 None (Indoor stadium) Fox Kenny Albert, Tim Green Box Score First quarter ARI – Greg Davis 24-yard field goal. Cardinals 3–0. Second quarter ARI – Greg Davis 29-yard field goal. Cardinals 6–0. IND – Zack Crockett 2-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Cary Blanchard kick). Colts 7–6. IND – Cary Blanchard 23-yard field goal. Colts 10–6.Third quarterNo scoring playsFourth quarterIND – Cary Blanchard 40-yard field goal. Colts 13–6. IND – Marvin Harrison 35-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Cary Blanchard kick). Colts 20–6. ARI – Boomer Esiason 2-yard run (Greg Davis kick). Colts 20–13. |stats=Top passersARI – Boomer Esiason – 25/38, 237 yards IND – Jim Harbaugh – 16/25, 196 yards, 2 TD, INTTop rushersARI – Leeland McElroy – 17 rushes, 63 yards IND – Marshall Faulk – 12 rushes, 46 yardsTop receivers' ARI – Larry Centers – 11 receptions, 108 yards IND – Marvin Harrison – 6 receptions, 85 yards, TD Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary September 8 6:00 p.m. MST Dolphins 7 17 7 7 Cardinals 0 0 10 0 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 55,444 90 F C Howard Roe TNT Verne Lundquist, Pat Haden, Ernie Johnson Box Score First quarter MIA – Karim Abdul-Jabbar 3-yard run (Joe Nedney kick). Dolphins 7–0. Second quarter MIA – Karim Abdul-Jabbar 3-yard run (Joe Nedney kick). Dolphins 14–0. MIA – Lamar Thomas 20-yard pass from Dan Marino (Joe Nedney kick). Dolphins 21–0. MIA – Joe Nedney 36-yard field goal. Dolphins 24–0. Third quarter ARI – Cedric Smith 1-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Dolphins 24–7. ARI – Greg Davis 26-yard field goal. Dolphins 24–10. MIA – Irving Spikes 1-yard run (Joe Nedney kick). Dolphins 31–10. Fourth quarter MIA – O.J. McDuffie 5-yard pass from Dan Marino (Joe Nedney kick). Dolphins 38–10. Top passers MIA – Dan Marino – 14/23, 178 yards, 2 TD ARI – Kent Graham – 13/19, 133 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers MIA – Irving Spikes – 11 rushes, 79 yards, TD ARI – Larry Centers – 6 rushes, 23 yards Top receivers MIA – Charles Jordan – 2 receptions, 51 yards ARI – Frank Sanders – 8 receptions, 81 yards Week 3: at New England Patriots Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 3: Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots – Game summary September 15 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST Cardinals 0 0 0 0 Patriots 7 13 8 3 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts 59,118 64 F C Fox Kevin Harlan, Jerry Glanville Box Score First quarter NE – Curtis Martin 13-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick). Patriots 7–0. Second quarter NE – Curtis Martin 1-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick). Patriots 14–0. NE – Ben Coates 2-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (kick failed). Patriots 20–0. Third quarter NE – Curtis Martin 7-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Drew Bledsoe–Curtis Martin pass). Patriots 28–0. Fourth quarter NE – Adam Vinatieri 31-yard field goal. Patriots 31–0. Top passers ARI – Kent Graham – 9/19, 111 yards, INT NE – Drew Bledsoe – 21/35, 221 yards, 3 TD Top rushers ARI – Larry Centers – 6 rushes, 31 yards NE – Curtis Martin – 27 rushes, 91 yards, TD Top receivers ARI – Larry Centers – 5 receptions, 56 yards NE – Terry Glenn – 5 receptions, 66 yards Week 4: at New Orleans Saints Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 4: Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints – Game summary September 22 1:00 p.m. CST/12:00 p.m. MST Cardinals 3 3 8 14 Saints 0 7 0 7 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 34,316 None (Indoor stadium) Jerry Markbreit Fox Eric Clemons, Jim Burt Box Score First quarter ARI – Greg Davis 25-yard field goal. Cardinals 3–0. Second quarter ARI – Greg Davis 25-yard field goal. Cardinals 6–0. NO – Brian Jones 11-yard blocked punt return (Doug Brien kick). Saints 7–6.Third quarterARI – Rob Moore 20-yard pass from Kent Graham (Kent Graham–Rob Moore). Cardinals 14–7.Fourth quarterARI – LeShon Johnson 56-yard run (Greg Davis kick). Cardinals 21–7.''' ARI – LeShon Johnson 70-yard run (Greg Davis kick). Cardinals 28–7. NO – Haywood Jeffires 23-yard pass from Jim Everett (Doug Brien kick). Cardinals 28–14.'' Top passers ARI – Kent Graham – 11/25, 165 yards, TD NO – Jim Everett – 18/33, 164 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ARI – LeShon Johnson – 21 rushes, 214 yards, 2 TD NO – Ray Zellars – 12 rushes, 57 yards Top receivers ARI – Rob Moore – 4 receptions, 91 yards, TD NO – Haywood Jeffires – 2 receptions, 31 yards, TD Week 5: vs. St. Louis Rams Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 5: St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary September 29 2:00 p.m. MST Rams 7 14 7 0 0 Cardinals 0 14 0 14 3 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 33,116 83 F C Fox Eric Clemons, Jim Burt Box Score First quarter STL – Eddie Kennison 66-yard punt return (Chip Lohmiller kick). Rams 7–0. Second quarter STL – Isaac Bruce 46-yard pass from Tony Banks (Chip Lohmiller kick). Rams 14–0. ARI – Rob Moore 24-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Rams 14–7. STL – Eddie Kennison 34-yard pass from Tony Banks (Chip Lohmiller kick). Rams 21–7. ARI – LeShon Johnson 2-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Rams 21–14. Third quarter STL – Isaac Bruce 49-yard pass from Tony Banks (Chip Lohmiller kick). Rams 28–14. Fourth quarter ARI – Larry Centers 5-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Rams 28–21. ARI – Frank Sanders 5-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Tied 28–28. Overtime ARI – Greg Davis 24-yard field goal. Cardinals 31–28. Top passers STL – Tony Banks – 10/17, 186 yards, 3 TD, INT ARI – Kent Graham – 37/58, 366 yards, 4 TD Top rushers STL – Harold Green – 10 rushes, 39 yards ARI – LeShon Johnson – 12 rushes, 97 yards Top receivers STL – Isaac Bruce – 4 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD ARI – Rob Moore – 9 receptions, 143 yards, TD Week 7: at Dallas Cowboys Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 7: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary October 13 12:00 p.m. CST/11:00 a.m. MST Cardinals 0 0 0 3 Cowboys 0 3 7 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 64,096 71 F C Fox Pat Summerall, John Madden Box Score First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter DAL – Chris Boniol 23-yard field goal. Cowboys 3–0.Third quarterDAL – Emmitt Smith 3-yard run (Chris Boniol kick). Cowboys 10–0.Fourth quarter''' ARI – Greg Davis 49-yard field goal. Cowboys 10–3.DAL – Emmitt Smith 13-yard run (Chris Boniol kick). Cowboys 17–3. |stats=Top passersARI – Kent Graham – 16/31, 141 yards, INT DAL – Troy Aikman – 23/37, 199 yards, INTTop rushersARI – Larry Centers – 5 rushes, 24 yards DAL – Emmitt Smith – 21 rushes, 112 yards, 2 TDTop receivers''' ARI – Rob Moore – 3 receptions, 45 yards DAL – Michael Irvin – 5 receptions, 51 yards Week 8: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary October 20 2:00 p.m. MST Buccaneers 0 0 3 6 Cardinals 3 7 3 0 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 27,738 73 F C Fox Mike Breen, Bill Maas Box Score First quarter ARI – Greg Davis 22-yard field goal. Cardinals 3–0. Second quarter ARI – Larry Centers 5-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Cardinals 10–0. Third quarter TB – Michael Husted 41-yard field goal. Cardinals 10–3. ARI – Greg Davis 37-yard field goal. Cardinals 13–3. Fourth quarter TB – Mike Alstott 1-yard run (kick failed). Cardinals 13–9. Top passers TB – Trent Dilfer – 22/35, 229 yards ARI – Kent Graham – 17/26, 146 yards, TD Top rushers TB – Reggie Brooks – 14 rushes, 43 yards ARI – Kent Graham – 5 rushes, 40 yards Top receivers TB – Courtney Hawkins – 6 receptions, 74 yards ARI – Frank Sanders – 4 receptions, 40 yards Week 9: vs. New York Jets Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 9: New York Jets at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary October 27 2:00 p.m. MST Jets 3 14 0 14 Cardinals 0 0 14 7 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 28,088 53 F C NBC Charlie Jones, Randy Cross Box Score First quarter NYJ – Nick Lowery 37-yard field goal. Jets 3–0. Second quarter NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson 34-yard pass from Frank Reich (Nick Lowery kick). Jets 10–0. NYJ – Richie Anderson 1-yard run (Nick Lowery kick). Jets 17–0. Third quarter ARI – Larry Centers 1-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Jets 17–7. ARI – Larry Centers 2-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Jets 17–14. Fourth quarter NYJ – Adrian Murrell 1-yard run (Nick Lowery kick). Jets 24–14. ARI – Rob Moore 6-yard pass from Kent Graham (Greg Davis kick). Jets 24–21. NYJ – Reggie Cobb 2-yard run (Nick Lowery kick). Jets 31–21. Top passers NYJ – Frank Reich – 22/31, 254 yards, TD, 2 INT ARI – Kent Graham – 17/32, 255 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers NYJ – Adrian Murrell – 31 rushes, 199 yards, TD ARI – LeShon Johnson – 12 rushes, 85 yards Top receivers NYJ – Keyshawn Johnson – 7 receptions, 94 yards, TD ARI – Rob Moore – 7 receptions, 143 yards, TD Week 10: at New York Giants Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 10: Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants – Game summary November 3 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST Cardinals 0 0 0 8 Giants 3 0 3 10 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 64,096 42 F C Fox Kevin Harlan, Jerry Glanville Box Score First quarter NYG – Brad Daluiso 31-yard field goal. Giants 3–0.Second quarterNo scoring playsThird quarterNYG – Brad Daluiso 32-yard field goal. Giants 6–0.Fourth quarter''' NYG – Thomas Lewis 24-yard pass from Danny Kanell (Brad Daluiso kick). Giants 13–0.NYG – Brad Daluiso 45-yard field goal. Giants 16–0. ARI – Frank Sanders 7-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Boomer Esiason run). Giants 16–8.'' Top passers ARI – Boomer Esiason – 20/40, 196 yards, TD, 2 INT NYG – Danny Kanell – 14/27, 128 yards, TD Top rushers ARI – LeShon Johnson – 10 rushes, 29 yards NYG – Rodney Hampton – 24 rushes, 94 yards Top receivers ARI – Frank Sanders – 5 receptions, 61 yards, TD NYG – Thomas Lewis – 7 receptions, 77 yards, TD Week 11: at Washington Redskins Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 11: Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins – Game summary November 10 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST Cardinals 3 10 0 21 3 Redskins 3 10 14 7 0 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, District of Columbia 51,929 42 F C Fox Thom Brennaman, Ron Pitts Box Score First quarter ARI – Kevin Butler 26-yard field goal. Cardinals 3–0.WAS – Scott Blanton 53-yard field goal. Tied 3–3.Second quarterWAS – Marc Logan 36-yard run (Scott Blanton kick). Redskins 10–3.ARI – Kevin Butler 39-yard field goal. ''Redskins 10–6. ARI – Marcus Dowdell 64-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 13–10.WAS – Scott Blanton 24-yard field goal. Tied 13–13. Third quarter WAS – Michael Westbrook 17-yard pass from Gus Frerotte (Scott Blanton kick). Redskins 20–13.WAS – Terry Allen 1-yard run (Scott Blanton kick). Redskins 27–13. Fourth quarter ARI – Larry Centers 1-yard run (Kevin Butler kick). Redskins 27–20.WAS – Terry Allen 1-yard run (Scott Blanton kick). Redskins 34–20.ARI – Johnny McWilliams 13-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Kevin Butler kick). Redskins 34–27. ARI – Anthony Edwards 12-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Kevin Butler kick). Tied 34–34.Overtime''' ARI – Kevin Butler 32-yard field goal. Cardinals 37–34. Top passers ARI – Boomer Esiason – 35/59, 522 yards, 3 TD, 4 INT WAS – Gus Frerotte – 18/36, 212 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ARI – LeShon Johnson – 20 rushes, 65 yards WAS – Terry Allen – 31 rushes, 124 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ARI – Marcus Dowdle – 3 receptions, 92 yards, TD WAS – Michael Westbrook – 6 receptions, 91 yards, TD Week 12: vs. New York Giants Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 12: New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary November 17 2:00 p.m. MST Giants 0 6 7 10 Cardinals 14 7 7 3 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 34,924 57 F C Fox Kevin Harlan, Jerry Glanville Box Score First quarter ARI – Rob Moore 6-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 7–0. ARI – Cedric Smith 1-yard run (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 14–0. Second quarter NYG – Brad Daluiso 25-yard field goal. Cardinals 14–3. ARI – Frank Sanders 2-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 21–3. NYG – Brad Daluiso 22-yard field goal. Cardinals 21–6. Third quarter NYG – Tyrone Wheatley 4-yard pass from Dave Brown (Brad Daluiso kick). Cardinals 21–13. ARI – LeShon Johnson 1-yard run (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 28–13. Fourth quarter NYG – Tyrone Wheatley 9-yard pass from Dave Brown (Brad Daluiso kick). Cardinals 28–20. ARI – Kevin Butler 18-yard field goal. Cardinals 31–20. NYG – Brad Daluiso 27-yard field goal. Cardinals 31–23. Top passers NYG – Dave Brown – 22/41, 262 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT ARI – Boomer Esiason – 18/27, 260 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers NYG – Tyrone Wheatley – 13 rushes, 50 yards ARI – LeShon Johnson – 17 rushes, 48 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Chris Calloway – 6 receptions, 95 yards ARI – LeShon Johnson – 2 receptions, 50 yards Week 13: vs. Philadelphia Eagles Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary November 24 2:00 p.m. MST Eagles 7 3 3 17 Cardinals 3 10 3 20 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 36,175 61 F C Ron Blum Fox Joe Buck, Bill Maas Box Score First quarter PHI – Ricky Watters 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick). Eagles 7–0. ARI – Kevin Butler 21-yard field goal. Eagles 7–3. Second quarter PHI – Gary Anderson 44-yard field goal. Eagles 10–3. ARI – Leeland McElroy 4-yard run (Kevin Butler kick). Tied 10–10. ARI – Kevin Butler 36-yard field goal. Cardinals 13–10. Third quarter PHI – Gary Anderson 25-yard field goal. Tied 13–13. ARI – Kevin Butler 27-yard field goal. Cardinals 16–13. Fourth quarter ARI – Pat Carter 6-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (pass failed). Cardinals 22–13. PHI – Ricky Watters 4-yard run (Gary Anderson kick). Cardinals 22–20. ARI – Larry Centers 2-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 29–20. PHI – Derrick Witherspoon 95-yard kickoff return (Gary Anderson kick). Cardinals 29–27. PHI – Gary Anderson 32-yard field goal. Eagles 30–29. ARI – Marcus Dowdell 24-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 36–30. Top passers PHI – Ty Detmer – 21/38, 322 yards, INT ARI – Boomer Esiason – 24/43, 367 yards, 3 TD Top rushers PHI – Ricky Watters – 25 rushes, 64 yards, 2 TD ARI – Larry Centers – 13 rushes, 45 yards Top receivers PHI – Irving Fryar – 7 receptions, 131 yards ARI – Rob Moore – 9 receptions, 156 yards Week 14: at Minnesota Vikings Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 14: Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary December 1 12:00 p.m. CST/11:00 a.m. MST Cardinals 0 3 0 14 Vikings 3 10 14 14 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota 45,767 None (Indoor stadium) Fox Kenny Albert, Tim Green Box Score First quarter MIN – Scott Sisson 38-yard field goal. Vikings 3–0.Second quarterMIN – Scott Sisson 26-yard field goal. Vikings 6–0.MIN – Amp Lee 19-yard pass from Brad Johnson (Scott Sisson kick). Vikings 13–0. ARI – Kevin Butler 38-yard field goal. ''Vikings 13–3. Third quarter MIN – Jake Reed 40-yard pass from Brad Johnson (Scott Sisson kick). Vikings 20–3.MIN – Qadry Ismail 13-yard pass from Brad Johnson (Scott Sisson kick). Vikings 27–3.Fourth quarter MIN – Cris Carter 4-yard pass from Brad Johnson (Scott Sisson kick). Vikings 34–3.ARI – Larry Centers 9-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Kevin Butler kick). Vikings 34–10.MIN – Leroy Hoard 1-yard run (Scott Sisson kick). Vikings 41–10. ARI – Larry Centers 1-yard run (Kevin Butler kick). Vikings 41–17.|stats=Top passersARI – Boomer Esiason – 26/40, 270 yards, TD, 2 INT MIN – Brad Johnson – 19/26, 238 yards, 4 TDTop rushersARI – Larry Centers – 4 rushes, 21 yards, TD MIN – Leroy Hoard – 22 rushes, 94 yards, TDTop receivers''' ARI – Larry Centers – 10 receptions, 85 yards, TD MIN – Jake Reed – 4 receptions, 79 yards, TD Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 15: Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary December 8 2:00 p.m. MST Cowboys 0 0 7 3 Cardinals 3 3 0 0 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 70,763 63 F C Walt Coleman Fox Pat Summerall, John Madden Box Score First quarter ARI – Kevin Butler 33-yard field goal. Cardinals 3–0. Second quarter ARI – Kevin Butler 28-yard field goal. Cardinals 6–0. Third quarter DAL – Michael Irvin 50-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Chris Boniol kick). Cowboys 7–6. Fourth quarter DAL – Chris Boniol 31-yard field goal. Cowboys 10–6. Top passers DAL – Troy Aikman – 15/24, 255 yards, TD ARI – Boomer Esiason – 18/36, 224 yards, 2 INT Top rushers DAL – Emmitt Smith – 27 rushes, 70 yards ARI – Leeland McElroy – 14 rushes, 90 yards Top receivers DAL – Michael Irving – 8 receptions, 198 yards, TD ARI – Rob Moore – 4 receptions, 94 yards Week 16: vs. Washington Redskins Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 16: Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary December 15 2:00 p.m. MST Redskins 3 13 7 3 Cardinals 7 7 3 10 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 34,260 61 F C Dale Hamer Fox Kenny Albert, Tim Green Box Score First quarter ARI – Larry Centers 6-yard pass from Kent Graham (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 7–0. WAS – Scott Blanton 20-yard field goal. Cardinals 7–3. Second quarter ARI – Jamir Miller 26-yard fumble return (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 14–3. WAS – Scott Turner 0-yard fumble return (Scott Blanton kick). Cardinals 14–10. WAS – Scott Blanton 22-yard field goal. Cardinals 14–13. WAS – Scott Blanton 23-yard field goal. Redskins 16–14. Third quarter WAS – Terry Allen 14-yard run (Scott Blanton kick). ''Redskins 23–14.ARI – Kevin Butler 22-yard field goal. Redskins 23–17.Fourth quarterARI – Frank Sanders 21-yard pass from Kent Graham (Kevin Butler kick). Cardinals 24–23. WAS – Scott Blanton 35-yard field goal. Redskins 26–24. ARI – Kevin Butler 28-yard field goal. Cardinals 27–26. |stats=Top passersWAS – Gus Frerotte – 22/40, 258 yards ARI – Kent Graham – 20/46, 232 yards, 2 TD, INTTop rushersWAS – Terry Allen – 17 rushes, 69 yards, TD ARI – Leeland McElroy – 18 rushes, 59 yardsTop receivers''' WAS – Michael Westbrook – 4 receptions, 59 yards ARI – Frank Sanders – 6 receptions, 82 yards, TD Week 17: at Philadelphia Eagles Arizona Cardinals 1996 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 17: Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary December 22 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST Cardinals 0 3 3 13 Eagles 13 10 3 3 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 63,658 30 F C Fox Kenny Albert, Tim Green Box Score First quarter PHI – Mike Mamula 4-yard fumble return (Gary Anderson kick). Eagles 7–0.PHI – Gary Anderson 23-yard field goal. Eagles 10–0.PHI – Gary Anderson 22-yard field goal. Eagles 13–0.Second quarterPHI – Gary Anderson 43-yard field goal. Eagles 16–0.ARI – Kevin Butler 41-yard field goal. Eagles 16–3.''' PHI – Ricky Watters 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick). Eagles 23–3. Third quarter ARI – Kevin Butler 41-yard field goal. Eagles 23–6. PHI – Gary Anderson 26-yard field goal. Eagles 26–6. Fourth quarter PHI – Gary Anderson 39-yard field goal. Eagles 29–6. ARI – Leeland McElroy 22-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (kick failed). Eagles 29–12.ARI – Aeneas Williams 65-yard interception return (Kevin Butler kick). Eagles 29–19.'' Top passers ARI – Boomer Esiason – 12/26, 138 yards, TD PHI – Ty Detmer – 20/32, 216 yards, INT Top rushers ARI – Leeland McElroy – 9 rushes, 45 yards PHI – Ricky Watters – 31 rushes, 99 yards, TD Top receivers ARI – Larry Centers – 6 receptions, 43 yards PHI – Chris Jones – 5 receptions, 65 yards Standings References Category:Arizona Cardinals seasons Arizona Cardinals Arizona