NFL

Mexicans love visit from NFL

MEXICO CITY - Robert Griffith sprinted out of the giant inflatable helmet, charging through the smoke and the corridor of cheerleaders. The Cardinals safety was wildly waving a Mexican flag.

Needless to say, the biggest regular-season crowd in NFL history liked it.

Judging from the vibrant colors in the stands and the beautiful halftime show, the NFL's first regular-season game outside the United States was a phenomenal fiesta for the 103,467 fans; even if the Cardinals' 31-14 victory over the 49ers wasn't the most savory version of "futbol americano."

Josh McCown passed for a career-high 385 yards and two touchdowns. Neil Rackers kicked a career-best six field goals, and Arizona shut out San Francisco's offense.

But the sloppy play and one-sided result in a game between two of the league's worst teams seemed secondary to the international exposure of a foreign venture the league hopes to turn into an annual affair.

"The experience in Mexico City has been wonderful, and this capped it off," said Rackers, who fell one short of the NFL record for field goals in a game. "It was wonderful. They're great fans, really into the game, more knowledgeable than I thought they would be. It was probably the best crowd I've been around."

The cavernous arena was packed to the rafters with a crowd that exceeded the league's most optimistic projections two days ago, proving the sport's avid following in Mexico is second to none outside the United States.

The Cardinals agreed to give up a home game to make history, and the NFC West rivals played in front of 68,398 more fans than they drew for last season's meeting at Sun Devil Stadium. The crowd topped the previous NFL record for a regular-season game, when 102,368 fans saw the Los Angeles Rams play the 49ers at the L.A. Coliseum on Nov. 10, 1957.

Just 65,000 seats had been sold earlier in the weekend.

"I think people wanted to be a part of the action, and as long as they kept coming, the stadium had a seat for them," Arizona coach Dennis Green said.

Derek Smith and rookie Derrick Johnson scored on fumble recoveries for San Francisco in the first quarter, with Smith scoring on the game's first play and Johnson returning his 78 yards. But Arizona scored the rest of the points with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin making tough catches for scores as the Cardinals avenged last season's two overtime losses to the 49ers.

"You kind of get a feel for the altitude," said McCown, who was 32-of-46. "Some of the balls in the first quarter, you want them to come down. And just because of the air, they just sailed. It's kind of tough to judge."

Rackers loved the mountain air in a city 2,000 feet higher than Denver, connecting from 40, 45, 48, 23, 43 and 24 yards. But the Cardinals decided not to kick one last, late field goal to tie the league record held by four players.

"I'd rather be a gentleman and not kick a field goal against a team we've got to play again this season," Rackers said.

The league's popularity was evident to visitors arriving at Azteca, where the number of fans wearing replica jerseys (more Cowboys than 49ers or Cardinals) nearly outnumbered the hundreds of police and security officials ringing the stadium.

Only a few empty seats were visible in the upper deck of the famed soccer venue. Mexican fans showed they know football, cheering for surging ball carriers and whistling at San Francisco's poor offense.

And when the game got a bit dull early in the second quarter, they did "La Ola" - the wave. When McCown made a spinning move to dodge a tackler in the fourth quarter, the fans shouted "Ole!"

"Fans around the world can take notice of the way these people are, their passion about the game," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "It was exciting to play the game for both teams, and they certainly latched on to the team that was ahead at the end because early on, we had them on our side."

[Last modified October 4, 2005, 02:15:30]