FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Stephen Gostkowski lay face down on the field after missing a shot at a winning field goal. On the sideline, Kevin Kolb and the Arizona Cardinals celebrated their victory.
The most accurate kicker in New England Patriots history sent a 42-yard attempt wide to the left on the next-to-last play - after making three longer field goals - and the Cardinals held on for a 20-18 win on Sunday.
"Nobody really gave us a chance, but our guys believed they could do it," said coach Ken Whisenhunt, whose Cardinals were a two-touchdown underdog, "and it's great to see them operate that way."
Backup quarterback Kolb did his part by throwing for one TD and running for another. Arizona's defense contributed by sacking Tom Brady four times. And the special teams came through with a blocked punt that set up a TD.
"Coming down here to get a W can definitely propel our season to the next level," said Arizona's Patrick Peterson, who intercepted Brady on his first play. "Some guys in the locker room described it as a statement game. But we'll have to wait and see what the rest of the season has for us."
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The Cardinals (2-0) have won nine of their last 11 games.
The Patriots began their final possession after Vince Wilfork recovered a fumble by Ryan Williams at the Cardinals' 30-yard line with 1:01 left. A 30-yard run into the end zone by Danny Woodhead was nullified by a holding penalty against former UA Wildcat Rob Gronkowski. New England then moved to the 24 before Brady spiked the ball to stop the clock with 6 seconds remaining.
But Gostkowski sent his kick to the left, just as Billy Cundiff did facing the same goal post on a late 32-yard attempt in the Patriots' 23-20 AFC championship win over Baltimore last season. They visit the Ravens next Sunday.
"I had a chance to win and it came down to me and I didn't pull through, and it stinks," said Gostkowski, who had been 3 for 3 in attempts in the final two minutes with a chance to tie or win.
Brady said settling for the field goal was "just a decision that coach (Bill Belichick) makes. We shouldn't have been leaving it up to that particular situation. We were fortunate to get that defensive turnover there late. We just came up short."
The Patriots (1-1) suffered a big loss when tight end Aaron Hernandez, their most versatile offensive player, hurt his right ankle in the first quarter. He left Gillette Stadium wearing a walking boot and carrying crutches. The Patriots gave no update on the injury.
Kolb overcame a shaky start and then threw a 2-yard TD pass to Andre Roberts 6 minutes into the third quarter after Quentin Groves blocked a punt. Then Kolb ran for a 5-yard score on the third play of the fourth as the Cardinals took a 20-9 lead.
"It's not like we played the perfect game. So, we have a lot to improve on," said Kolb, filling in for John Skelton (sprained ankle). He was 15 of 27 for 140 yards with one sack and no interceptions.
With the Patriots trailing 20-12 after Gostkowski's 53-yard field goal, Brady led his best drive of the game. He completed eight of 10 passes for 82 yards, capped by a 5-yard TD throw to Gronkowski, making it 20-18 with 2:06 left. But his pass to Gronkowski for a two-point conversion was broken up by Kerry Rhodes.
The loss was the first in 11 home openers since the Patriots moved into Gillette Stadium in 2002. The Cardinals ended a five-game losing streak against the Patriots, beating them for the first time since Sept. 29, 1991.
Brady completed 28 of 46 passes for 316 yards and extended his streak to 34 games with at least one TD pass, fourth-best in NFL history.
Monday night football
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