Arizona Cardinals Favored In Playoff Rematch Against Green Bay Packers

NFL News - January 5th, 2010 - Written by John

There is probably no hotter team heading into the playoffs than the Green Bay Packers, and no one knows it quite like the Arizona Cardinals. Fresh of Green Bay's 33-7 beatdown in the season finale, the two teams meet again in the first round of the NFC playoffs in one of three opening week rematches.

Green Bay might as well have not even gotten back on the plane. It will be back in Arizona for the second-straight week because the Cardinals won their division, therefore earning home-field advantage.

Thus, the NFC West champs are two-point favorites, according to NFL Playoff Betting Lines, with a 47-point total. The Cardinals are 7-2 ATS in nine games this year against teams with winning records. Green Bay is 7-3 ATS in that same situation.

But its the Packers who have raced to 11 wins with seven victories in their last eight, including the aforementioned throttling a week ago.

Part of last week's problem for the Cardinals was the fact that almost all of their starters were benched in the name of safety, and back-up Matt Leinart had a miserable day. But Green Bay's second-ranked defense clearly had it's way, and has all the momentum after forcing three turnovers and allowing only 48 yards rushing.

Charles Woodson had one of those picks, and housed it, to give him nine on the year. That's good enough for first in the league and a serious look for defensive MVP.

But the Packers already built a 14-0 lead with Kurt Warner in the game, and burned Arizona 44-37 in a preseason game back in August.

"We're not worried about that," receiver Larry Fitzgerald argued. "When we come to play and are playing on all cylinders, we can play with anybody. I'm confident of that and I know everybody else in this locker room feels the same way."

When the Cardinals are clicking, it's hard to debate that. In their 10 wins, they averaged over 29 points a game, which is among the tops in the league. Warner has thrown for more than 250 yards eight times this season, and his 93.2 rating is his second-best since 2001.

But in the losses, Arizona is a completely different team, averaging just over 13 points in those six games. It's only had one good win since October, and is 3-3 since beating the St. Louis Rams in week 11.

Anquan Boldin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Calais Campbell were all injured in the loss, and are all questionable for the game.

Meanwhile, Green Bay has scored more points over the last three weeks than any other team in football, and has won seven of it's last eight, landing them a spot in the 2009 NFL Playoffs. Aaron Rodgers is the league's fourth-rated passer, and tailback Ryan Grant has set season highs with 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns. Rodgers has thrown four more touchdowns than Warner, and has erred far less during the course of the year.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

In the stats and streaks box, Arizona's ineptitude at running the ball will be outlined, but with a very elementary look at the Cardinals season, it's clear that it will have problems on the ground Sunday. Beanie Wells leads the team with 793, which is the eighth-fewest yards for a team leader, and only twice has an Arizona rusher topped 100 yards in a game this year.

The Cardinals managed to win 10 games this year with one of the weakest rushing attacks, but that can be attributed to a weak schedule that has slated six games against sub-.500 teams in the last nine weeks. Most of those wins came against weak pass defenses that Warner exploited, but surely the Packers will pose a greater threat.

Three players on Green Bay's roster have at least 70 tackles, and it boasts the league's top rush defense.

Warner has been pretty good in big games over the last two seasons, and he will really need to be sharp on Sunday.

STATS AND STREAKS

- The Cardinals haven't lost back-to-back games all year, which is a first since 1975.

- Greg Jennings and Donald Driver have 11 catches of 40 yards or more, which ESPN reports is 10 more than Boldin and Fitzgerald.

- Green Bay has scored 117 points over the last three games, which is more than any other team in the league.

- Arizona is 28th in rushing offense this year, and has had only two 100-yard games all year. The Packers have the no. 1-ranked rush defense.

- The Cardinals have only won twice in 10 meetings with Green Bay since 1985, and have dropped three-straight since 2006. In each of those three losses, Arizona allowed 31 or more points.

- The Packers have never scored less than 24 points against the Cardinals, and have reached 28 in seven of ten meetings.