St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) – Derek Anderson upstaged Sam Bradford’s NFL debut as he threw the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Arizona a 17-13 win over St. Louis at Edward Jones Dome.
Anderson, who was named the starter after the retirement of Kurt Warner and the release of former first-round pick Matt Leinart, went 22-for-41 with 297 yards and a touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald for the Cardinals (1-0), who have won consecutive NFC West titles.
Tim Hightower had 13 carries for 54 yards and a score and added four receptions for 40 yards while Steve Breaston had seven catches for 132 yards for Arizona, who beat Green Bay in the playoff opener last season but then fell to New Orleans in the next round.
Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft out of Oklahoma, went 32-for-55 with 253 yards and a score, but threw three interceptions, including one in the final two minutes with St. Louis deep in Arizona territory.
Steven Jackson had 22 carries for 81 yards while Mark Clayton had 10 catches for 119 yards for the Rams (0-1), who finished last season with a mark of 1-15 and were 6-42 over the past three season.