Rolling along: Cardinals LB's game-day flat tire makes for amazing tale

Sunday's journey to State Farm Stadium for Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jesse Luketa bore all the markings of an ordinary game-day commute — until it took an unforeseen detour. 

As Luketa hit the 101 highway, an untimely notification for a tire issue flashed across his car's dashboard. He had recently experienced trouble with the front left tire of his BMW, so he pulled into the nearest gas station to put air in the tire — it didn't work. 

Stranded at the gas station, Luketa faced the daunting task of making the noon report time for the Cardinals' clash against division rival Los Angeles Rams. Roadside assistance would take too long, and a ride from a Cardinals employee would still result in tardiness. 

Luketa, 30 minutes away from the stadium panned around the gas station. 

"I'm sitting there looking to my right, I see a family," Luketa said during the Monday news conference. "They're in Cardinals gear and it looked like they're going to the stadium." 

Approaching the family's father, Luketa laid bare his predicament — an urgent plea for a ride to the stadium. 

The man, J.W. Phillips gave Luketa a weird look at first, but after listening to the story and consulting his wife, told Luketa to hop in. As the passenger, Luketa set off to the stadium with the wife and three kids of Phillip in the back seat.

Football served as the common thread of conversation, Luketa told the family tales from his college days at Penn State and delved into discussions about Cardinals football. 

"Honestly, at the end of the day, we were just trying to help somebody out," said Phillips, per KKTV. "It wasn't the fact that he played football or didn't, we were just trying to help somebody out."

Although Luketa strayed away from his typical routine of music on game day, the 24-year-old enjoyed the experience.