Cards rally for win after former Rams QBs depart

Warner completed 12 of 23 passes, while Green hit 6 of 10 for Kansas City.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- If success this season hinges on backup quarterbacks, the Arizona Cardinals appear to be in much better shape than the Kansas City Chiefs.

Josh McCown threw two touchdown passes in the second half in relief of Kurt Warner to rally the Cardinals to a 24-17 victory over the Chiefs.

Damon Huard, who replaced Trent Green for Kansas City, was 1-for-12 for 11 yards and two interceptions.

In the battle of first-teamers, the Chiefs (0-2) were winners. Green hit Samie Parker with an 8-yard pass in the first quarter and engineered a 42-yard drive that resulted in Lawrence Tynes' 31-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead that held up until the Cardinals scored 10 points within less than a minute of the third quarter.

Warner, the former regular-season and Super Bowl MVP with the St. Louis Rams, had a second straight good outing. He hit 12 of 23 passes for 99 yards. Green, also a former Rams player, was 6-of-10 for 59 yards.

It was a nightmarish game for David Macklin, who started all 16 games at cornerback for the Cardinals last year. He was flagged three times for pass interference while trying to defend Parker.

"I told Eddie [Kennison] in the huddle I'm not intentionally going the other way on purpose, right now Macklin's frustrated, and when you've got a frustrated corner, you have to keep attacking him," Green said.

Anquan Boldin got loose down the sideline for a 49-yard touchdown pass from Warner in the first quarter, but a holding penalty brought the play back. Boldin was playing in his first preseason game after breaking his nose during a routine drill on Aug. 4.