# 1987 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season

The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals season was the franchise's 68th season in the National Football League and the 28th and final season in St. Louis as the team moved to Tempe, Arizona in March 1988. This move left St. Louis without an NFL franchise until the Los Angeles Rams moved there in 1995 to play, only to relocate back to Los Angeles in 2016, once again leaving St. Louis without an NFL team.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1987 St. Louis Cardinals draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Kelly Stouffer | QB | Colorado State | Refused to sign with team |
| 2 | 34 | Tim McDonald * | S | USC | |
| 3 | 62 | Rob Awalt | TE | San Diego State | |
| 3 | 70 | Colin Scotts | DT | Hawaii | |
| 4 | 90 | Rod Saddler | DT | Texas A&M | |
| 5 | 118 | George Swarn | RB | Miami (OH) | |
| 5 | 126 | John Bruno | P | Penn State | |
| 5 | 127 | Ilia Jarostchuk | LB | New Hampshire | |
| 6 | 146 | Mark Garalczyk | DT | Western Michigan | |
| 7 | 174 | Tim Peoples | DB | Washington | |
| 7 | 195 | William Harris | TE | Bishop | |
| 8 | 201 | Steve Alvord | DT | Washington | |
| 9 | 229 | Wayne Davis | LB | Alabama | |
| 10 | 257 | Charles Wright | DB | Tulsa | |
| 11 | 285 | Todd Peat | OG | Northern Illinois | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Personnel
### NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

### Roster
## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 13 | Dallas Cowboys | W 24–13 | 1–0 | Busch Stadium | 47,241 |
| 2 | September 20 | at San Diego Chargers | L 24–28 | 1–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 47,988 |
| – | September 27 | Indianapolis Colts | canceled | 1–1 | Busch Stadium | |
| 3 | October 4 | at Washington Redskins | L 21–28 | 1–2 | RFK Stadium | 27,728 |
| 4 | October 11 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–19 | 2–2 | Busch Stadium | 11,795 |
| 5 | October 18 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 28–34 | 2–3 | Candlestick Park | 38,094 |
| 6 | October 25 | at New York Giants | L 7–30 | 2–4 | Giants Stadium | 74,391 |
| 7 | November 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 23–28 | 2–5 | Busch Stadium | 24,586 |
| 8 | November 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–28 | 3–5 | Busch Stadium | 22,449 |
| 9 | November 15 | Los Angeles Rams | L 24–27 | 3–6 | Busch Stadium | 27,730 |
| 10 | November 22 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 31–19 | 4–6 | Veterans Stadium | 55,592 |
| 11 | November 29 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 34–21 | 5–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 15,909 |
| 12 | December 6 | Washington Redskins | L 17–34 | 5–7 | Busch Stadium | 31,324 |
| 13 | December 13 | New York Giants | W 27–24 | 6–7 | Busch Stadium | 29,623 |
| 14 | December 20 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–14 | 7–7 | Tampa Stadium | 32,046 |
| 15 | December 27 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 16–21 | 7–8 | Texas Stadium | 36,788 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 24 |
at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
* Date: September 13
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 47,241

#### Week 3: at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Redskins | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
* Date: October 4
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
* Game attendance: 27,728
* Referee: Jerry Seeman
* TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Joe Theismann
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
WAS – Anthony Allen 34-yard pass from Ed Rubbert (Brendan Toibin kick), 1:20. Redskins 7–0.
Second quarter
STL – Earl Ferrell 1-yard run (Jason Staurovsky kick), 9:28. Tied 7–7.
WAS – Anthony Allen 88-yard pass from Ed Rubbert (Brendan Toibin kick), 9:05. Redskins 14–7.
Third quarter
STL – Earl Ferrell 1-yard run (Jason Staurovsky kick), 8:01. Tied 14–14.
WAS – Lionel Vital 8-yard run (Brendan Toibin kick), 5:24. Redskins 21–14.
WAS – Anthony Allen 48-yard pass from Ed Rubbert (Brendan Toibin kick), 2:02. Redskins 28–14.
Fourth quarter
STL – Pete Noga 60-yard interception return (Jason Staurovsky kick), 12:17. Redskins 28–21.
Top passers
STL – Shawn Halloran – 16/35, 258 yards
WAS – Ed Rubbert – 14/24, 334 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
STL – Earl Ferrell – 27 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD
WAS – Lionel Vital – 27 rushes, 82 yards, TD
Top receivers
STL – J. T. Smith – 6 receptions, 116 yards
WAS – Anthony Allen – 7 receptions, 255 yards, 3 TD :

#### Week 8: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 31 |
at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
* Date: November 8
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 22,449
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (CBS): Jack Buck and Will McDonough
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TB – Mark Carrier 5-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Donald Igwebuike kick). Buccaneers 7–0.
Second quarter
TB – Gerald Carter 3-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Donald Igwebuike kick). Buccaneers 14–0.
STL – Jim Gallery 31-yard field goal. Buccaneers 14–3.
Third quarter
TB – Jeff Smith 34-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Donald Igwebuike kick). Buccaneers 21–3.
TB – Jeff Smith 3-yard run (Donald Igwebuike kick). Buccaneers 28–3.
Fourth quarter
STL – Robert Awalt 4-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Buccaneers 28–10.
STL – Niko Noga 24-yard fumble return (Jim Gallery kick). Buccaneers 28–17.
STL – J. T. Smith 11-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Buccaneers 28–24.
STL – J. T. Smith 17-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Cardinals 31–28.
Top passers
TB – Steve DeBerg – 23/37, 303 yards, 3 TD
STL – Neil Lomax – 25/36, 314 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
TB – James Wilder – 11 rushes, 49 yards
STL – Stump Mitchell – 17 rushes, 79 yards
Top receivers
TB – James Wilder – 6 receptions, 87 yards
STL – Robert Awalt – 9 receptions, 124 yards, TD :
Days before the game Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill announced that the team would be moving to another city. The announcement increased fan apathy, resulting in an official game attendance of only 22,449, the Cardinals' lowest in four years.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Cardinals were down 28–3 to the Buccaneers. St. Louis would score 28 unanswered points in the final quarter to win 31–28. Tampa kicker Donald Igwebuike attempted a 53-yard field goal to tie the game as time expired but the ball bounced off the crossbar. The Cardinals' 25-point fourth quarter comeback is the largest in NFL history.

#### Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 10 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 34 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
* Date: December 6
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 31,324
* Referee: Tom Dooley
* TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Joe Theismann
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
WAS – Gary Clark 84-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Redskins 7–0.
WAS – Ali Haji-Sheikh 22-yard field goal. Redskins 10–0.
Second quarter
STL – Stump Mitchell 3-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Redskins 10–7.
STL – J. T. Smith 4-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Jim Gallery kick). Cardinals 14–10.
Third quarter
STL – Jim Gallery 48-yard field goal. Cardinals 17–10.
WAS – Jay Schroeder 7-yard run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Tied 17–17.
WAS – George Rogers 6-yard run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Redskins 24–17.
WAS – Clint Didier 19-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Redskins 31–17.
Fourth quarter
WAS – Ali Haji-Sheikh 40-yard field goal. Redskins 34–17.
Top passers
WAS – Jay Schroeder – 13/25, 235 yards, 2 TD, INT
STL – Neil Lomax – 21/39, 241 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
WAS – George Rogers – 29 rushes, 133 yards, TD
STL – Stump Mitchell – 20 rushes, 101 yards
Top receivers
WAS – Gary Clark – 5 receptions, 130 yards, TD
STL – Roy Green – 6 receptions, 90 yards :

#### Week 14: vs. New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Cardinals | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
* Date: December 13
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C)
* Game attendance: 29,623
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Terry Bradshaw
This would be the Cardinals' final home game in St. Louis as the franchise would relocate to the Phoenix metro area for the 1988 season. This would be the last NFL game played in St. Louis until September 10, 1995 when the Rams, who had relocated to St. Louis from Los Angeles following the 1994 season, hosted the New Orleans Saints. However, the Rams would move back to Los Angeles prior to the 2016 season.

#### Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: December 27
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C)
* Game attendance: 36,788
Entering the final week of the season, the Cardinals needed a win over the Cowboys to secure the NFC's final wild card spot. The Cardinals wound up losing the regular season finale, knocking them out of playoff contention. This would be the final game for the St. Louis Cardinals NFL team. On March 15, 1988, NFL owners approved the Cardinals' move from St. Louis to Tempe, Arizona. Starting with the following season, the Cardinals played as the Phoenix Cardinals before changing the franchise's geographic name to the Arizona Cardinals prior to the 1994 season.

### Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Washington Redskins$^{(3)}$ | 11 | 4 | 0 | .733 | 7–1 | 9–3 | 379 | 285 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 | 4–4 | 5–7 | 340 | 348 | W2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 | 3–5 | 7–7 | 362 | 368 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 | 3–5 | 4–7 | 337 | 380 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 280 | 312 | W2 |

## Awards and records

* Luis Sharpe, NFC Pro Bowl selection
* J.T. Smith, NFL Receiving Leader, 91 Receptions
* J.T. Smith, Led NFL, Receiving Yards, 1,117 yards
* Ron Wolfley, Pro Bowl selection