Experience shines through in the desert.
Most NFL players do not carry on playing for 18 seasons, Calais Campbell is not most players.
Campbell joined the Arizona Cardinals for his second stint in the desert in the offseason and he wasted no time getting back to work with the team that drafted him in 2008.
The giant defensive tackle had two sacks on the diminutive Bryce Young, including the sack that iced the game with 29 seconds left on the clock.
As a result, Arizona moved to 2-0 by defeating the Carolina Panthers 27-22.
A fast start, scary finish
Having scored a touchdown from a fumble recovery on the first drive of the game, Arizona stalled on offense but somehow found themselves 20-3 up at the half.
They closed the half out with their best drive of the day so far, with quarterback Kyler Murray finding Michael Wilson at the back of the end zone for the touchdown.
Another touchdown at the start of the third from James Connor saw the lead increase to 27-3.
As the second half moved on, the Panthers grew more and more into the game. Somehow, in the fourth quarter they found themselves trailing by only five points.
With just under two minutes left of the game, the Panthers recovered an onside kick to regain possession.
Multiple flags on the final drive kept Carolina in the game. Cardinals fans were watching from behind the sofas.
After the late scare from the Saints last week, it was the same story again for Jonathan Gannon’s team.
The pressure was finally lifted when Campbell broke through and got to Bryce Young on fourth down.
From a 24 point lead to fretting at the end, the Arizona Cardinals are not doing it the easy way so far this year.
But hey, a win is a win!
