The Arizona Cardinals defense came to play. On the first drive they have perfect coverage on the first few snaps and almost picked off a pass. After having a 3rd & 10 stop reversed by a New York Giants false start, they forced a fumble and gave Kevin Kolb and the offense the ball on the 16-yard line.
The Giants red zone defense held and forced a 27-yard field goal, but Arizona was on the board first and the momentum continued. The Giants second possession ended with after three quick plays with the defensive line stuffing a few run attempts and getting pressure on Eli Manning without having to blitz.
With good field position after the New York punt, Kolb moved the ball 30 yards on eight plays with a good mix of mid-range passes and a couple of runs from Wells. The drive went into the red zone before Kolb was hit from behind and fumbled the ball. He had a chance to fall on it but unwisely tried to reach down and grab it off the turf and run. That mistake resulted in a turnover and negated another scoring chance.
The defense held the Giants on their next drive to 29 yards before forcing the punt. The Cardinals have the ball on their own 36 as the first quarter ends with Arizona up 3-0.