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NFL team season
The 2001 Arizona Cardinals season was the franchise's 82nd year with the National Football League (NFL) and the 14th season in Arizona. It was their final season in the NFC East division before moving to their current division, the NFC West .
Due to being the only team in the league with a Week 1 bye, the Cardinals were the final team to play their season opener, which was pushed back even further in wake of the September 11 attacks . Arizona did not play its opener until September 23 versus the Denver Broncos , the latest date an NFL team played its season opener since the 1960 Detroit Lions did not begin until October 2.
The 2001 Cardinals were also the most recent team in NFL history to have a Week 1 bye until the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins in 2017 due to Hurricane Irma . However, the 2001 Cardinals are the most recent NFL team to have a scheduled week 1 bye, a situation which will not occur again unless the NFL has an odd number of teams.
The 2001 season was Pat Tillman ’s final season as he left the NFL to join the U.S. Army following the season.
[ 1]
Undrafted free agents [ edit ]
2001 Arizona Cardinals staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Special teams – Hank Kuhlmann
Special Teams Assistant/Def. Quality Control – Stan Kwan
Strength and conditioning
Strength and conditioning – Bob Rogucki
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Venue
Attendance
1
Bye
2[ A]
September 23
Denver Broncos
L 17–38
0–1
Sun Devil Stadium
50,913
3
September 30
Atlanta Falcons
L 14–34
0–2
Sun Devil Stadium
28,878
4
October 7
at Philadelphia Eagles
W 21–20
1–2
Veterans Stadium
66,360
5
October 14
at Chicago Bears
L 13–20
1–3
Soldier Field
66,944
6
October 21
Kansas City Chiefs
W 24–16
2–3
Sun Devil Stadium
35,916
7
October 28
at Dallas Cowboys
L 3–17
2–4
Texas Stadium
63,114
8
November 4
Philadelphia Eagles
L 7–21
2–5
Sun Devil Stadium
33,430
9
November 11
New York Giants
L 10–17
2–6
Sun Devil Stadium
36,917
10
November 18
Detroit Lions
W 45–38
3–6
Sun Devil Stadium
32,322
11
November 25
at San Diego Chargers
W 20–17
4–6
Qualcomm Stadium
49,398
12
December 2
at Oakland Raiders
W 34–31
5–6
Network Associates Coliseum
46,601
13
December 9
Washington Redskins
L 10–20
5–7
Sun Devil Stadium
40,056
14
at New York Giants
L 13–17
5–8
Giants Stadium
77,913
15
December 23
Dallas Cowboys
W 17–10
6–8
Sun Devil Stadium
48,883
16
December 30
at Carolina Panthers
W 30–7
7–8
Ericsson Stadium
72,025
17[ A]
January 6
at Washington Redskins
L 17–20
7–9
FedExField
61,721
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos [ edit ]
Week 2: Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Broncos
0
17
14 7 38
Cardinals
3
7
0 7 17
at Sun Devil Stadium , Tempe, Arizona
Date : September 23Game time : 6:35 p.m. MSTGame weather : 103 °F (39 °C)Game attendance : 50,913Referee : Ron Blum Box Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
ARI – Thomas Jones 1-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 14:57. Cardinals 10–0.
DEN – Jason Elam 49-yard field goal, 11:24. Cardinals 10–3.
DEN – Jason Elam 31-yard field goal, 5:04. Cardinals 10–6.
DEN – Jason Elam 35-yard field goal, 3:23. Cardinals 10–9.
DEN – Rod Smith 10-yard pass from Brian Griese (Brian Griese–Dwayne Carswell pass), 0:32. Broncos 17–10.
Third quarter
DEN – Rod Smith 34-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jason Elam kick), 11:51. Broncos 24–10.
DEN – Patrick Hape 1-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jason Elam kick), 5:53. Broncos 31–10.
Fourth quarter
Top passers
DEN – Brian Griese – 22/31, 242 yards, 3 TD
ARI – Jake Plummer – 16/28, 242 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
DEN – Olandis Gary – 14 rushes, 90 yards, TD
ARI – Thomas Jones – 17 rushes, 65 yards, TD
Top receivers
DEN – Rod Smith – 14 receptions, 162 yards, 2 TD
ARI – David Boston – 8 receptions, 145 yards
Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons [ edit ]
Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Falcons
10
3
7 14 34
Cardinals
0
0
7 7 14
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Date : September 30Game time : 2:05 p.m. MSTGame weather : 104 °F (40 °C)Game attendance : 28,878Referee : Gerry Austin Box Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
ATL – Jay Feely 55-yard field goal, 0:04. Falcons 13–0.
Third quarter
ARI – Michael Pittman 24-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 14:57. Falcons 13–7.
ATL – Terance Mathis 10-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Jay Feely kick), 4:51. Falcons 20–7.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Maurice Smith 1-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 14:15. Falcons 27–7.
ATL – Maurice Smith 79-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Jay Feely kick), 11:27. Falcons 34–7.
ARI – Terry Hardy 12-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramática kick), 7:59. Falcons 34–14.
Top passers
ATL – Chris Chandler – 20/28, 286 yards, 3 TD
ARI – Jake Plummer – 23/35, 276 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
ATL – Maurice Smith – 21 rushes, 70 yards, TD
ARI – Michael Pittman – 7 rushes, 53 yards, TD
Top receivers
ATL – Maurice Smith – 2 receptions, 108 yards, TD
ARI – Frank Sanders – 4 receptions, 96 yards
Week 4: at Philadelphia Eagles [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
PHI – David Akers 42-yard field goal, 8:39. Cardinals 14–10.
PHI – Todd Pinkston 2-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (David Akers kick), 0:05. Eagles 17–14.
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
PHI – David Akers 28-yard field goal, 1:13. Eagles 20–14.
ARI – MarTay Jenkins 35-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramática kick), 0:09. Cardinals 21–20.
Top passers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 18/32, 238 yards, 2 TD, INT
PHI – Donovan McNabb – 19/29, 280 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
Top receivers
ARI – MarTay Jenkins – 6 receptions, 119 yards, TD
PHI – Todd Pinkston – 4 receptions, 90 yards, TD
Week 5: at Chicago Bears [ edit ]
Week 5: Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals
14
0
0 7 21
Bears
7
10
0 3 20
at Soldier Field , Chicago, Illinois
Date : October 14Game time : 12:05 p.m. CST/11:05 a.m. MSTGame weather : 54 °F (12 °C)Game attendance : 66,944Referee : Johnny Grier Box Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
ARI – Bill Gramática 40-yard field goal, 13:23. Tied 3–3.
CHI – James Allen 1-yard run (Paul Edinger kick), 7:49. Bears 10–3.
ARI – Bill Gramática 47-yard field goal, 3:18. Bears 10–6.
CHI – Paul Edinger 43-yard field goal, 0:00. Bears 13–6.
Third quarter
CHI – R.W. McQuarters 69-yard fumble return (Paul Edinger kick), 7:33. Bears 20–6.
Fourth quarter
Top passers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 20/37, 216 yards, TD
CHI – Jim Miller – 15/21, 116 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
ARI – Michael Pittman – 16 rushes, 50 yards
CHI – James Allen – 18 rushes, 75 yards, TD
Top receivers
Week 6: vs. Kansas City Chiefs [ edit ]
Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Chiefs
3
6
0 7 16
Cardinals
0
3
7 14 24
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
ARI – Bill Gramática 29-yard field goal, 13:08. Tied 3–3.
KC – Todd Peterson 29-yard field goal, 6:19. Chiefs 6–3.
KC – Todd Peterson 33-yard field goal, 0:00. Chiefs 9–3.
Third quarter
ARI – Michael Pittman 24-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 9:17. Cardinals 10–9.
Fourth quarter
Top passers
KC – Trent Green – 21/44, 352 yards, TD, 2 INT
ARI – Jake Plummer – 16/25, 228 yards, TD
Top rushers
KC – Priest Holmes – 15 rushes, 85 yards
ARI – Michael Pittman – 26 rushes, 95 yards, TD
Top receivers
KC – Derrick Alexander – 4 receptions, 99 yards, TD
ARI – David Boston – 7 receptions, 131 yards, TD
Week 7: at Dallas Cowboys [ edit ]
Week 7: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals
3
0
0 0 3
Cowboys
0
3
14 0 17
at Texas Stadium , Irving, Texas
Date : October 28Game time : 2:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. MSTGame weather : 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 63,114Referee : Ron Blum Box Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
DAL – Tim Seder 31-yard field goal, 1:09. Tied 3–3.
Third quarter
DAL – Clint Stoerner 6-yard run (Tim Seder kick), 11:32. Cowboys 10–3.
DAL – Dexter Coakley 10-yard interception return (Tim Seder kick), 1:55. Cowboys 17–3.
Fourth quarter
Top passers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 25/41, 233 yards, 2 INT
DAL – Clint Stoerner – 9/19, 93 yards, INT
Top rushers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 4 rushes, 35 yards
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 21 rushes, 83 yards
Top receivers
Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles [ edit ]
Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Eagles
7
14
0 0 21
Cardinals
0
7
0 0 7
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Date : November 4Game time : 2:05 p.m. MSTGame weather : 94 °F (34 °C)Game attendance : 33,430Referee : Bill Leavy Box Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
PHI – Donovan McNabb – 19/33, 238 yards, 2 TD, INT
ARI – Jake Plummer – 24/41, 293 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
Top receivers
PHI – James Thrash – 4 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TD
ARI – David Boston – 8 receptions, 138 yards
Week 9: vs. New York Giants [ edit ]
Week 9: New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants
7
7
0 3 17
Cardinals
0
3
7 0 10
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Date : November 11Game time : 2:15 p.m. MSTGame weather : 83 °F (28 °C)Game attendance : 36,917Referee : Mike Carey Box Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
ARI – Bill Gramática 32-yard field goal, 8:05. Giants 14–10.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Morten Andersen 25-yard field goal, 11:39. Giants 17–10.
Top passers
NYG – Kerry Collins – 15/24, 155 yards, TD, INT
ARI – Jake Plummer – 13/26, 172 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
Top receivers
NYG – Ike Hilliard – 3 receptions, 43 yards, TD
ARI – David Boston – 9 receptions, 137 yards, TD
Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions [ edit ]
Week 10: Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Lions
0
14
17 7 38
Cardinals
7
7
7 24 45
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Date : November 18Game time : 2:15 p.m. MSTGame weather : 80 °F (27 °C)Game attendance : 32,322Referee : Bill Carollo TV announcers (FOX) : Curt Menefee, Ray Bentley , D.J. JohnsonBox Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
DET – Lamont Warren 3-yard run (Jason Hanson kick), 7:43. Lions 21–14.
ARI – Frank Sanders 68-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramática kick), 6:13. Tied 21–21.
DET – David Sloan 1-yard pass from Charlie Batch (Jason Hanson kick), 4:55. Lions 28–21.
DET – Jason Hanson 49-yard field goal, 0:02. Lions 31–21.
Fourth quarter
ARI – David Boston 18-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramática kick), 13:11. Lions 31–28.
ARI – MarTay Jenkins 3-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramática kick), 10:04. Cardinals 35–31.
ARI – Fred Wakefield 20-yard interception return (Bill Gramática kick), 9:04. Cardinals 42–31.
ARI – Bill Gramática 50-yard field goal, 6:32. Cardinals 45–31.
DET – Lamont Warren 6-yard pass from Charlie Batch (Jason Hanson kick), 4:11. Cardinals 45–38.
Top passers
DET – Charlie Batch – 36/62, 436 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
ARI – Jake Plummer – 21/33, 334 yards, 4 TD, INT
Top rushers
DET – Lamont Warren – 9 rushes, 32 yards, TD
ARI – Michael Pittman – 23 rushes, 81 yards
Top receivers
DET – Johnnie Morton – 7 receptions, 153 yards
ARI – Frank Sanders – 7 receptions, 127 yards, TD
Week 11: at San Diego Chargers [ edit ]
Week 11: Arizona Cardinals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals
0
7
3 10 20
Chargers
3
0
0 14 17
at Qualcomm Stadium , San Diego, California
Date : November 25Game time : 1:05 p.m. PST/2:05 p.m. MSTGame weather : 63 °F (17 °C)Game attendance : 49,398Referee : Walt Coleman TV announcers (FOX) : Kenny Albert, Tim Green, Tim RyanBox Score
Game information
First quarter
SD – Wade Richey 26-yard field goal, 1:27. Chargers 3–0.
Second quarter
Third quarter
ARI – Bill Gramática 18-yard field goal, 10:07. Cardinals 10–3.
Fourth quarter
SD – Curtis Conway 6-yard pass from Doug Flutie (Wade Richey kick), 14:19. Tied 10–10.
ARI – Michael Pittman 1-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 6:00. Cardinals 17–10.
SD – Jeff Graham 28-yard pass from Doug Flutie (Wade Richey kick), 1:54. Tied 17–17.
ARI – Bill Gramática 42-yard field goal, 0:01. Cardinals 20–17.
Top passers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 19/31, 241 yards, TD, 2 INT
SD – Doug Flutie – 33/44, 308 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
Top receivers
ARI – David Boston – 6 receptions, 121 yards, TD
SD – Jeff Graham – 7 receptions, 98 yards, TD
Week 12: at Oakland Raiders [ edit ]
Week 12: Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 OT Total
Cardinals
7
13
0 11 3 34
Raiders
7
0
7 17 0 31
at Network Associates Coliseum , Oakland, California
Date : December 2Game time : 1:15 p.m. PST/2:15 p.m. MSTGame weather : 58 °F (14 °C)Game attendance : 46,601Referee : Jeff Triplette TV announcers (FOX) : Kenny Albert, Tim Green, D.J. JohnsonBox Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
ARI – Michael Pittman 1-yard run (Bill Gramática kick), 9:48. Cardinals 14–7.
ARI – Bill Gramática 23-yard field goal, 3:44. Cardinals 17–7.
ARI – Bill Gramática 26-yard field goal, 0:03. Cardinals 20–7.
Third quarter
OAK – Zack Crockett 1-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 8:19. Cardinals 20–14.
Fourth quarter
ARI – Bill Gramática 33-yard field goal, 13:40. Cardinals 23–14.
OAK – Tim Brown 22-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 11:20. Cardinals 23–21.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 24-yard field goal, 1:47. Raiders 24–23.
ARI – David Boston 50-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Jake Plummer run), 1:18. Cardinals 31–24.
OAK – Jerry Rice 2-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 11:20. Tied 31–31.
Overtime
ARI – Bill Gramática 36-yard field goal, 7:31. Cardinals 34–31.
Top passers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 22/38, 249 yards, TD
OAK – Rich Gannon – 29/45, 302 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
ARI – Michael Pittman – 18 rushes, 78 yards, TD
OAK – Charlie Garner – 15 rushes, 59 yards
Top receivers
ARI – David Boston – 6 receptions, 106 yards, TD
OAK – Jerry Rice – 7 receptions, 97 yards, TD
Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins [ edit ]
Week 13: Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Redskins
0
10
0 10 20
Cardinals
0
3
0 7 10
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Date : December 9Game time : 2:05 p.m. MSTGame weather : 71 °F (22 °C)Game attendance : 40,056Referee : Larry Nemmers TV announcers (FOX) : Kenny Albert, Sean Jones, D.J. JohnsonBox Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
WAS – Brett Conway 42-yard field goal, 12:48. Redskins 13–3.
WAS – Stephen Davis 1-yard run (Brett Conway kick), 8:20. Redskins 20–3.
ARI – MarTay Jenkins 10-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramática kick), 1:16. Redskins 20–10.
Top passers
WAS – Tony Banks – 19/26, 210 yards, TD
ARI – Jake Plummer – 20/34, 253 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
WAS – Stephen Davis – 26 rushes, 110 yards, TD
ARI – Michael Pittman – 14 rushes, 46 yards
Top receivers
Week 14: at New York Giants [ edit ]
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
ARI – Bill Gramática 23-yard field goal, 13:33. Giants 7–6.
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
NYG – Morten Andersen 39-yard field goal, 11:50. Giants 10–6.
ARI – Tywan Mitchell 24-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Bill Gramática kick), 4:04. Cardinals 13–10.
NYG – Amani Toomer 4-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Morten Andersen kick), 0:25. Giants 17–13.
Top passers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 27/45, 207 yards, TD
NYG – Kerry Collins – 14/32, 147 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys [ edit ]
Week 15: Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cowboys
3
7
0 0 10
Cardinals
0
17
0 0 17
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Date : December 23Game time : 2:05 p.m. MSTGame weather : 58 °F (14 °C)Game attendance : 48,883Referee : Bill Leavy TV announcers (FOX) : Ray Bentley, Jeff Lageman, D.J. JohnsonBox Score
Game information
First quarter
DAL – Jon Hilbert 27-yard field goal, 0:05. Cowboys 3–0.
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
DAL – Quincy Carter – 16/28, 176 yards, TD, 2 INT
ARI – Jake Plummer – 17/31, 144 yards
Top rushers
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 26 rushes, 128 yards
ARI – Michael Pittman – 14 rushes, 58 yards, TD
Top receivers
DAL – Reggie Swinton – 3 receptions, 72 yards, TD
ARI – Frank Sanders – 2 receptions, 69 yards
Week 16: at Carolina Panthers [ edit ]
Week 16: Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals
7
20
3 0 30
Panthers
0
7
0 0 7
at Ericsson Stadium , Charlotte, North Carolina
Date : December 30Game time : 1:35 p.m. EST/11:35 a.m. MSTGame weather : 42 °F (6 °C)Game attendance : 72,025Referee : Mike Carey Box Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
ARI – Cedric Oglesby 41-yard field goal, 14:56. Cardinals 10–0.
ARI – David Boston 61-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Cedric Oglesby kick), 12:36. Cardinals 17–0.
ARI – David Boston 5-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Cedric Oglesby kick), 9:46. Cardinals 24–0.
CAR – Donald Hayes 7-yard pass from Chris Weinke (John Kasay kick), 2:38. Cardinals 24–7.
ARI – Cedric Oglesby 18-yard field goal, 0:00. Cardinals 27–7.
Third quarter
ARI – Cedric Oglesby 26-yard field goal, 11:27. Cardinals 30–7.
Fourth quarter
Top passers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 12/23, 173 yards, 2 TD
CAR – Chris Weinke – 36/63, 223 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
Top receivers
ARI – David Boston – 7 receptions, 127 yards, 2 TD
CAR – Isaac Byrd – 7 receptions, 60 yards
Week 17: at Washington Redskins [ edit ]
Week 17: Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals
7
10
0 0 17
Redskins
0
6
6 8 20
at FedEx Field , Landover, Maryland
Date : January 6Game time : 1:35 p.m. EST/11:35 a.m. MSTGame weather : 40 °F (4 °C)Game attendance : 61,721Referee : Bob McElwee Box Score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
WAS – Brett Conway 36-yard field goal, 12:27. Cardinals 7–3.
ARI – Thomas Jones 4-yard run (Cedric Oglesby kick), 9:00. Cardinals 14–3.
WAS – Brett Conway 33-yard field goal, 3:46. Cardinals 14–6.
ARI – Cedric Oglesby 26-yard field goal, 0:13. Cardinals 17–6.
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
WAS – Stephen Davis 2-yard run (two-point pass successful), 3:11. Redskins 20–17.
Top passers
ARI – Jake Plummer – 11/25, 154 yards, INT
WAS – Tony Banks – 13/25, 154 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
ARI – Thomas Jones – 7 rushes, 26 yards, TD
WAS – Stephen Davis – 38 rushes, 148 yards, TD
Top receivers
^ a b The Cardinals were originally scheduled to play the Washington Redskins during Week 2 of the original NFL schedule (September 16) at FedExField in Landover . However, due to the September 11 attacks , the game was rescheduled to Week 17.
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (7) Conference championships (1) League championships (2) Retired numbers Current league affiliations
Played in Chicago (1920–1959), St. Louis (1960–1987), and formerly the Phoenix Cardinals (1988–1993)