Cardinals 51 Packers 45 - OT
The only excellent game of the weekend. It set records for points and yards. Warner was damn near perfect. He finished with the second-highest passer rating in playoff history. 29-33, 389 yds, 5 TDs, 0 INT.
Rodgers nearly equaled Warner and almost had enough to pull out the win, but an early interception, on his first attempt, and late fumble were factors in the loss. A great performance in his first playoff game. He still needs to get it out quicker on some plays.
The Packers won a couple of decent games this year, beating Dallas and Baltimore, but lost to teams with elite quarterbacks, like Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Arizona. Big Ben threw for 503 yards and wasn't intercepted. Favre's dominance over Green Bay was well-documented. Warner picked apart Dom Capers' 3-4 defense that was ranked second in the league in yards allowed, the most misleading stat in the league.
The Packers defense faltered again in the most meaningful game of the year. It was up-and-down all year, dominating one week then looking like a JV team the next. Losing Kampman and Al Harris earlier in the year certainly hurt, but giving up 51 points in the playoffs is atrocious.
Packer honk - please don't complain about the no-calls for offensive pass interference on Fitzgerald. For a DPOY candidate, Woodson went down like a house of cards on those two plays.
Reasons for the Packer loss:
- Early deficit - Interception and fumble lost led to a 17-0 hole.
- Defense didn't blitz effectively or frequently enough to get to Warner. He will kill you without pressure.
- Forced only one turnover.
- Warner. Played one of the best games of his storied career. Doesn't matter who he's throwing to.
- Receiving corp. With Boldin out, Breaston, Doucet and other no-names stepped up.
- Rushing attack. Wells ran the ball effectively against the NFL's No. 1 team against the run.
- Defense made just enough plays. Didn't play well, credit Rodgers for that. Made a couple plays to get the W.
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