Cardinals advance by beating Pack at its own game

Football Betting Lines

01/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what turned out to be the highest scoring postseason game in NFL history, it was the Arizona Cardinals' defense that ultimately kept the defending NFC champions alive in their quest for a second straight Super Bowl appearance.

Arizona advanced to the conference Divisional Playoffs via Sunday's 51-45 overtime triumph over visiting Green Bay, with linebacker Karlos Dansby's 17- yard return of a fumble by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers providing the deciding points in one of the most thrilling winner-take-all matchups in recent memory.

Dansby's score, which came as a result of nickel back Michael Adams' sack of Rodgers on the third play from scrimmage of the extra period, gave a most ironic twist to a contest that featured a combined 1,024 total yards, 62 first downs and a postseason-record 13 touchdowns, and not simply because a game with so much offense ended on a defensive touchdown.

Forcing turnovers had been Green Bay's calling card during an 11-5 regular season, while that area too often led to the Cardinals' undoing in a rather inconsistent 10-win campaign that still produced a first-place finish in the suspect NFC West Division. The Packers entered this Wild Card clash atop the NFL in turnover margin (+24) and takeaways (16) while committing a league-low 16 offensive miscues. Arizona, on the other hand, had a minus-seven turnover ratio for the year, and only lowly Detroit had more giveaways than the team's season sum of 36.

The Cardinals were the opportunistic ones on Sunday, though, inducing three turnovers out of the usually-stingy Packers while giving the ball up only once in the epic win. Two of Green Bay's errors -- a Rodgers interception on the game's first play and a Dansby strip of wide receiver Donald Driver five minutes in -- staked Arizona to a lightning-quick 14-0 lead before their shell-shocked foe knew what hit them.

The Packers would eventually regain their wits, however, and roared back from a 31-10 deficit early in the third quarter by putting together five consecutive long scoring drives, the last of which tied the score at 45-45 on Rodgers' 11-yard strike to reserve tight end Spencer Havner with 1:52 left in regulation. And when normally-reliable Arizona kicker Neil Rackers shanked a game-winning 34-yard field goal try as time expired and the Cardinals lost the subsequent coin toss to begin overtime, dreams of a Super Bowl repeat seemed to be dashed, until the defense stepped up and saved the day.

"They're a great offense," said Dansby of the Packers. "We can't take anything away from Green Bay, they played exceptional. They made a lot of plays in the second half, and for our defense to end the game the way we did, [that] gives us a lot of confidence for New Orleans."

The Cardinals now move on to face the NFC's top-seeded Saints, another team that has thrived on creating mistakes out of the opposition this season. New Orleans finished second in the league with 39 takeaways and third overall with a plus-16 turnover margin.

Needless to say, Arizona will have to fare well in the turnover battle again this weekend in order to survive. In fact, that aspect has generally been the most accurate indicator of whether the Cardinals have succeeded or failed over the past few years.

In head coach Ken Whisenhunt's three seasons at the helm, Arizona is an astonishing 29-3 when it has an equal or less number of turnovers than its opponent. On the flip side, the Cards are a woeful 2-19 over that time period when giving up the football more times than the enemy.

Including Sunday's verdict, the 2009 Cardinals are 10-1 when ending a game ahead or even in turnover margin and 1-5 when winding up on the negative side.

And let's not forget how critical that department was to Arizona's remarkable run to last year's Super Bowl. The team forced three turnovers or more in each of their three playoff wins to get to Tampa and had a plus-nine turnover ratio over the course of those games.

WARNER WONDERFUL IN WIN

There was one other major reason why the Cardinals were able to prevail in Sunday's shootout. Quarterback Kurt Warner added to his postseason legend with a near-perfect performance under center, with the two-time league MVP racking up 379 yards and throwing five touchdown passes while completing an astounding 29-of-33 throws.

Warner's 87.8 completion percentage for the game was the third-best mark in NFL postseason history, eclipsed only by Tom Brady (92.9 percent, 26-of-28 vs. Jacksonville in 2007 AFC Divisional Playoffs) and Phil Simms (88 percent, 22- of-25 vs. Denver in Super Bowl XXI). The 38-year-old improved to 9-3 all-time in playoff games as a starter.

"What more is there to say about Kurt? One of the best playoff quarterbacks of all time," stated Whisenhunt afterward. "We thought going in today that [position] would be an advantage for us, and he played very well."

Warner also matched a career best for touchdown passes in a playoff game, matching the five he threw for the St. Louis Rams in a 49-37 win over Minnesota in a 1999 NFC Divisional Playoff.

EARLY RISES UP

Arizona was forced to play its opening-round tilt without standout wide receiver Anquan Boldin due to a high left ankle sprain the three-time Pro Bowl honoree incurred in the regular-season finale, a 33-7 loss to the same Packers squad the Cardinals defeated on Sunday. His absence did little to slow down the team's potent aerial attack, however, thanks to fellow wideouts Steve Breaston and Early Doucet both delivering very productive games in their expanded roles.

Breaston led Arizona with seven catches and a career-best 125 receiving yards starting in Boldin's place. The valuable third-year pro also hauled in Warner's fifth touchdown throw of the day, a 17-yard strike that gave the Cardinals a short-lived 45-38 lead with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Doucet, who had been limited to nine games and 17 receptions during the regular season due to Arizona's enviable depth at wide receiver, made the most of his extended opportunity. The seldom-used 24-year-old caught six passes for 77 yards and scored two first-half touchdowns in helping his club build a 24-10 advantage at intermission.

Boldin will likely miss considerable practice time again this week and it's yet unclear as to whether the physical pass-catcher will be able to suit up when the Cardinals visit the Louisiana Superdome this Saturday. Arizona has been able to overcome his loss in the past, as the team has gone 6-1 in the seven games Boldin has missed because of injuries over the last two seasons.

QUICK HITS

- The 96 combined points in Sunday's game surpassed Philadelphia's 58-37 win over Detroit in the 1995 NFC Wild Card Round as the highest-scoring postseason contest in NFL history.

- Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona's No. 1 receiver, posted six catches for 82 yards and two scores against the Packers and now has nine touchdown receptions in five career postseason games.

- The Cardinals put up 156 of their 531 total yards on the ground, with rookie running back Beanie Wells amassing 91 yards on 14 attempts. Arizona averaged just 93.4 rushing yards per game during the regular season, the fifth-lowest mark in the league.

- Arizona's defense did record five sacks of Rodgers, with veteran end Bertrand Berry accounting for two of those takedowns.

NEXT UP

More offensive fireworks could very well be on tap when the Cardinals head to New Orleans this Saturday to take on a Saints team that topped in NFL in scoring (31.9 ppg) and total offense (403.8 ypg) during the regular season. The NFC South champions will be entering the playoffs on a three-game losing streak, however, after roaring out to a franchise-best 13-0 start.

Arizona has been strong on the road this year, having generated a 6-2 record as the visitor, but hasn't won in the Superdome since 1996. The Cardinals have lost twice to the Saints in New Orleans following that victory, including a 31-24 setback on December 16, 2007 in the most recent meeting between the clubs.