The Arizona Cardinals were depleted and more fatigued than the New Orleans Saints in their NFC Divisional Round game, but I was still expecting a much closer outcome.  The Cardinals defense just could not stop Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and the rest of the Saints offense.  One main reason was that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartrie (knee) and Antrel Rolle (concussion) both got injured in the first half and Drew Brees took advantage.  Brees finished with 3 touchdowns and 247 yards on 23/32 passes.  Reggie Bush hurt the Cardinals the most though.  He rushed for 84 yards and 1 touchdown on only 5 carries, including a 46-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to put the Cardinals in a 21-7 hole.  Bush hurt the Cardinals in special teams too, returning a punt for 83 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to put the game out of reach for the Cards.

Kurt Warner and the offense did their best early in the game to try and keep up, but the Saints made some huge plays and the Cardinals were in a hole early.  In what might have been Warner’s final game, he got really banged up, getting blindsided on a block after being intercepted, and looked a little gingerly from then on.  He finished with 205 yards, no touchdowns, and 1 interception on 17/26 passes.  Justin Hightower had a huge 70-yard touchdown run on the first play for the Cardinals, but after that the Cardinals only got 30 rushing yards the rest of the game.  Beanie Wells only had 7 yards on 5 carries.  The Saints overpowered and outplayed the Cardinals on both sides of the ball and it may be the end of the Kurt Warner era in Arizona.

Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals got into a gun-slinging offensive shootout against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.  Warner had one of the best games in postseason history, throwing for 379 yards and 5 touchdowns on 29/33 (88%) passes.  Warner has had more than a few great postseason games, and he is looking more and more like a Hall-of-Fame candidate.  His favorite targets were Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald.  Breaston had 7 catches for 125 yards and 1 touchdown, while Fitzgerald had 6 catches for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The running game was great as well, which was an added bonus to such a stellar passing game.  Beanie Wells ran hard, gaining 91 yards on 14 carries for an average of 6.5 yards per carry.  Breaston had one big rush for 28 yards, and the Cardinals finished with 156 rushing yards as a team.

The Cardinals defense was going up against a passing game almost as good as their own.  Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers nearly matched Warner’s phenomenal passing stats, going 28/42 for 422 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  The Packers had 493 total yards, while the Cardinals had 531 total yards.  It was also the highest scoring game in postseason history.  The defense was torn apart by Rodgers most of the game, but they made two huge plays on the first and final play of the game.  Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie picked off Rodgers on the first play of the game, giving the Cardinals some big momentum on their way to a 17-0 first quarter.  Rodgers brought the Packers back into the game, but in overtime Karlos Dansby grabbed a Rodgers fumble out of the air and ran 17 yards for a game-winning touchdown.  Michael Adams had the big hit that forced the fumble, and in a game dominated by offense it was the Cardinals defense that ultimately decided the outcome.

The Arizona Cardinals (10-6) will be facing off against the Green Bay Packers (11-5) in the first round of the playoffs, and this game was a small preview of that matchup.  I say small because the Cardinals decided to rest most of their key players, while the Packers did mostly the opposite.  That is why the Packers routed the Cardinals, and hopefully this approach by Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t disrupt the Cards rhythm going into their rematch in the playoffs.

The offense only managed 187 total yards, with Matt Leinart going 13/21 for 96 yards and 2 interceptions.  One of those interceptions was taken back 45 yards by Charles Woodson for a touchdown.  Leinart has not looked good at all while replacing Warner, and the Cardinals will need a healthy Warner in the playoffs.  That is one of the reasons Whisenhunt held Warner out most of the game.  The defense could not do much to stop the Packers’ offense, with Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers leading the Packers to a 26-0 halftime lead.  The Cards’ defense gave up 345 total yards to the Packers, but this game shouldn’t have too much meaning when it comes to their rematch in the first round.

The Cardinals dominated the Rams yesterday as they should.  Kurt Warner was very sharp in this game completing 24 of 38 passes for 313 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Beanie Wells led the way on the ground for the Cardinals yesterday with 68 yards rushing on 17 carries (4.0 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 1 pass for 25 yards yesterday.  Tim Hightower pitched in with 32 yards rushing on 10 carries (3.2 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 3 yards (1.5 avg).  Anquan Boldin led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals last night with 8 grabs for 116 yards (14.5 avg).  Larry Fitzgerald (5 rec, 48 yards, TD), Early Doucet (2 rec, 43 yards, TD) and Steve Breaston (4 rec, 64 yards) all pitched in for the Cardinals in the passing game yesterday.  The Cardinals finished up with 407 total yards on offense (110 rushing, 297 passing) in this game.

Linebacker Karlos Dansby led the way for the Cardinals’ D with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit in this game.  Safety Adrian Wilson also had a great game with 4 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception yesterday.  CBs Greg Toler and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie both pitched in with pick-offs in this game.  The Rams finished up with a paltry 238 total yards on offense (88 rushing, 150 passing) in this game.  The Cardinals are now 10-5 on the year.

The Cardinals looked like they were on their way to a easy win earlier today as they went to the locker-room with a 17-0 lead.  But it took a 5-yard TD pass from Kurt Warner to Anquan Boldin with 1:54 left in the game to seal this game and the NFC West.  Kurt Warner was solid completing 23 of 37 passes for 233 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception (it was returned 100 yards for a TD by rookie safety Louis Delmas of the Lions).  Beanie Wells had a huge game for the Cardinals earlier today with 17 carries for 110 yards (6.5 ypc) with a TD run.  Tim Hightower only rushed for 4 yards on 6 carries (0.7 ypc) with a TD run but he also caught 6 passes for 34 yards (5.7 avg) today.  Anquan Boldin led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals today with 6 grabs for 72 yards (12.0 avg) with a TD grab.  Larry Fitzgerald pitched in with 4 catches for 36 yards (9.0 avg) with a TD grab.  The Cardinals finished up with 340 total yards on offense in this game (117 rushing, 223 passing).

The defense only gave up 17 of the points today for the Cardinals.  OLB/DE Chike Okeafor led the way for the Cardinals today with 8 tackles.  LB Clark Haggans also had a solid game with 7 tackles, 1/2 a sack and a QB hit.  CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was outstanding today with 3 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  The Lions finished up with 282 total yards of offense in this game (161 rushing, 121 passing).  The Cardinals are now 9-5 on the season as they have clinched the NFC West Crown.