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| WILD - CARD Packers - Cardinals Preview |
Arizona learned before kickoff last week that its chances for the No2 seed and a first-round bye were gone with Minnesota’s victory over the Giants.Coach Ken Whisenhunt decided to take a cautious approach in that meaningless game,sitting QB Kurt Warner after only two series. “We stuck to our plan,what we intended to do.”said Whisenhunt “That’s difficult,especially when the score got the way it did.Hopefully,that will help us this week.” Packers coach Mike McCarthy took the opposite approah and stuck with Aaron Rodgers and most of his starters through three quarters,until his team built a 33-0 lead.With a 33-7 final score,Green bay completed the second half of the year with an NFC-best 7-1. “I’m not going to stand here and act like I have all the answers”McCarthy said “But I have the pulse of my football team..Our football team needed to stay on course...I thought it was important to take this last opportunity to make sure that we were playing the best we possibly could coming out of the regular season.” We’ll see Sunday which approach proves to work best. Despite Whisenhunt’s game plan,Arizona sustained injuries to key players.WR Anquan Boldin has a sprained ankle,DE Calais Campbell a broken thumb and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie a bruised left knee cap. “I’m always optimistic that we’re going to have these guys because this is a playoff game and guys want to play...”said Whisenhunt. For Green Bay,Pro Bowl CB Charles Woodson left the game before halftime with a shoulder strain.He expects to be OK for the rematch. Rodgers went 21 of 26 for 235 yds and 1 TD,and finished fourth in the league with 4,344 yds passing,becoming the first player in NFL history to throw for 4,000 plus yards in each of his first two seasons as a starter. Last week’s game did nothing to deter his confidence.However,he said that the Cardinals used a fairly “vanilla” defense.He obviously expects much more resistance this week. “It’s going to be a different game for sure”said Rodgers “They’re going to play way different on defense.We’re going to play different on offense.” He’ll be up against fellow Pro Bowl selection Kurt Warner,who has posted the three highest yardage totals in Super Bowl history.Warner is 8-3 in the postseason,while Rodgers is making his debut. Warner was spectacular in last year’s postseason with 11 TDs and 3 INTs as the Cardinals just fell short of winning their first Super Bowl in a dramatic loss against Pittsburgh. Warner,though,knows he’s going to have his hands full facing the top defense of the NFC. “You watch what they do,you watch how they approach things,you look at players,you see them close and personal,and you understand you have your work cut out for you.” He said. Warner’s favorite target Larry Fitzgarald was sensational in last season’s playoffs with 7 TDs and an average of 136.5 yds in four games.The possible absence of Cardinal’s other top receiver Anquan Boldin would make things easier for the Packers secondary,especially if Woodson doesn’t play or is limited in his actions. The team that has lost the Super Bowl hasn’t made it back since Buffalo made four straight appearences from 1991-94.The Cardinals believe their postseason experience gives them a decisive advantage against the youngest team in the NFL.The Packers,though,have been impressive and Rodgers has been unstoppable.Arizona wiil need a healthy Rodgers-Cromartie to slow down Green Bay’s passing offense. Another tough one to pick a winner.However,I like the the Packers who made a statement last Sunday although they played mostly against Arizona’s reserves. Check out the odds for the NFL’s wild-card weekend at BetPhoenix.com Sportsbook and put a wager on your favorite teams. 
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The Green Bay Packers (11-5) return to Phoenix for the second straight Sunday to face the Arizona Cardinals(10-6),this time for a playoffs’ first-round game.
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