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.

38-year old Kurt Warner has been hinting that this playoff run is it for him and that should scare the hell out of Cardinals’ fans because Matt Leinart stinks.  Warner played in 15 games for the Cardinals this season and he completed 339 of 513 passes (66.1%) for 3,753 yards with 26 TD passes and 14 INTs (93.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 21 times for 10 yards (0.5 ypc) this year.  Warner has now played in 124 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,666 of 4,070 passes (65.5%) for 32,344 yards with 208 TD passes and 128 INTs (93.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 173 times for 286 yards (1.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  The Cardinals should get on bended knee and beg Warner to come back in 2010.

26-year old Matt Leinart was awful again this season as usual for the Cardinals.  He played in 8 games for the Cardinals this season and he completed 51 of 77 passes (66.2%) for 435 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs (64.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 9 times for -6 yards (-0.7 ypc) this year.  Leinart has now played in 29 games in his NFL career and he has completed 340 of 595 passes (57.1%) for 3,893 yards with 14 TD passes and 20 INTs (70.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 46 times for 90 yards (2.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  The Cardinals better bring in someone to at least compete with Leinart for the starting job in 2010 if Warner retires.

30-year old Brian St. Pierre is still around as the #3 QB.  He played in 1 game for the Cardinals this season and he completed 2 of 4 passes (50%) for 12 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INTs (56.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 1 time for 2 yards this year.  He has now played in 2 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2 of 5 passes (40%) for 12 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (47.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for -1 yards (-0.2 ypc) in his career.  The Cardinals might keep St. Pierre around as the #3 QB next season as he is a favorite of Ken Whisenhunt.

22-year old RB LaRod Stephens-Howling is making a name for himself as a rookie this year.  Stephens-Howling has played in all 13 games for the Cardinals so far this season and he has carried the ball 4 times for 9 yards (2.3 ypc).  He has also caught 10 passes for 83 yards (8.3 avg) with a TD grab.  But, Stephens-Howling has really excelled on special teams for the Cardinals this season as he has returned 41 kickoffs for 1,013 yards (24.7 avg) including a TD return of 99 yards.  The Cardinals appear to have hit the jackpot with Stephens-Howling who was a 7th round pick out of Pittsburgh last April.

30-year old safety Adrian Wilson is still a top playmaker for the Cardinals.  He has played in all 13 games for the Cardinals this season and he has made 65 tackles, 1/2 a sack, 10 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, he has defensed 12 passes and he has 4 interceptions.  Look for him to make some huge plays against the sloppy Detroit Lions this weekend.

When Kurt Warner left the game with a “headache” last week the offense went into a shell against the Rams.  The Cards were lucky that Warner helped them build a big lead before he left the football game.  Warner is not acting his age this season as he has completed 251 of 372 passes (67.5%) for 2,718 yards with 20 TD passes and 11 INTs (94.4 QB Rating).  His drive and will to win is what really makes the offense of the Cardinals roll.  With Matt Leinart in the game the Cardinals are not a playoff team.  He has completed 17 of 25 passes (68%) for 119 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT (61.9 QB Rating).  So in summation the Cardinals can’t afford to lose Warner if they want to win the Super Bowl this season, period!