Hanson's FG In OT Lifts Lions

Detroit rookie Charlie Batch won the battle of the backup quarterbacks for the Lions. Still, Stoney Case gave the Arizona Cardinals plenty of reason to feel good.

Jason

Batch, a second-round draft pick out of Eastern Michigan who played most of the second half, completed a 23-yard pass to rookie Germane Crowell with five seconds left in the fourth quarter, setting up a 34-yarder by Hanson to tie it.

"I told the line to protect, and they firmed up," said Batch, who has roomed with Crowell since just after the draft. "Once we drew the safety up, it was a matter of getting Germane the ball. Germane just made a good move on the ball."

Crowell, the Lions' other second-round pick, hauled in a 48-yard bomb to the Cardinals' 24 as the Lions drove 60 yards in five plays for Hanson's overtime field goal. Crowell had four receptions for 103 yards.

"As we got down to that situation, you want to be in there," Batch said. "It's just a matter of having confidence."

Hanson's 34-yarder with one second remaining in the fourth quarter forced the overtime.

Case, getting a chance to take charge of the Cardinals offense, threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to rookie Pascal Volz early in the fourth quarter to give Arizona a 10-7 lead. Case, battling Dave Brown for the right to back up Jake Plummer, took the Cardinals 95 yards in 14 plays, hitting Volz between two defenders.

"It's one of those things where everything is flashing in front of you, because it's the first game of the season," said Case, who was 12-of-21 for 126 yards. "I think I played well, but I know I made some bad throws.

"I really don't want to critique my performane until I watch the films."

As expected, the two starting quarterbacks played little more than a quarter. Scott Mitchell, who was booed when his second pass of the game was overthrown, was 6-of-9 for 93 yards and one touchdown for the Lions. Plummer, playing only the first quarter, was 4-of-9 for 26 yards with one interception.

"I thought Stoney played really well," Plummer said. "He's been getting better throughout camp."

Jim Miller, battling Batch for the Detroit backup job, was 2-of-7 for 23 yards. Batch ran into the game with 7:04 left in the third quarter to loud cheers from the 46,331 fans in the steamy Silverdome.

Detroit's scoring drive was set up when Mark Carrier intercepted Plummer's pass at the Lions' 2 and returned it 32 yards.

A penalty on the return set the Lions up at their own 49 and they needed just four plays to move in for the touchdown, a 2-yard toss from Mitchell to Cory Schlesinger who put a nice move on linebacker Ronald McKinnon at the goal line. Mitchell also had a 31-yard completion to Tommie Boyd in the drive.

The Cardinals, 7-9 last season, drove 75 yards in 17 plays for Joe Nedney's 18-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter. Case had completions of 12 and 15 yards to Eric Metcalf during the drive.

Nedney was wide on a 51-yard field goal try in the first quarter, an attempt set up by Metcalf's 63-yard return with the opening kickoff.

Detroit's Barry Sanders played sparingly. Sanders, who has zigged and zagged his way to 13,778 yards in his career, carried the ball just twice, gaining 6 yards.

The Lions, 9-7 in 1997, were penalized 14 times for 100 yards.

Lions wide receiver Herman Moore sat out the game with a pulled hamstring.

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