Cardinals, Eagles soar when it counts
Deuces Wild
Harold McIlvain II
Issue date: 1/14/09 Section: Sports
It took 61 years, but the Arizona Cardinals finally did it. The franchise won a home playoff game.
But they didn't stop there last weekend, as they beat a double-digit favorite on the road.
Coming into the NFL playoffs, an argument could be made that the Arizona Cardinals didn't even deserve to be in the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
The Cardinals clinched a playoff spot in early December but didn't finish well down the stretch, losing to New England 47-7 in week 16. But large margins of defeat were not a rarity for Arizona this season. In their losses, the Cardinals have lost by an average of 18 points.
And that includes a 48-20 loss on the road in week 13 against the Eagles, whom the Cardinals host at 2 p.m. Sunday.
But surprisingly, tickets for the first-ever home playoff game in Arizona were pretty easy to acquire two weeks ago. The NFL actually granted the team two extra days to sell out the stadium so there would not be a local blackout.
Doesn't sound much like a playoff team, right? Wrong.
Arizona seems to have a chip on its shoulder, but doubters had a good body of evidence to believe the team wouldn't even win a game.
And right now the Cards are winning in an untraditional way - at least for this team.
Arizona ranked dead last in rushing yards per game this season, averaging 74 yards a game. But against Atlanta, who ranked second in the league with 153 yards a game, the Cardinals won the ground game, holding the Falcons to 60 yards.
Running the ball was also a winning formula against the Panthers, who ranked third in the league in rushing yards a game. This time the Cards gained 145 yards on the ground and did so without an explosive part of the offense in receiver Anquan Boldin, who could return this week.
Veteran Edgerrin James and rookie Tim Hightower - with a great deal of help from a revitalized offensive line - are leading the new found commitment to the run. James, who has been unhappy with his role throughout the season, said he doesn't feel like he will be back with the team next year.
But they didn't stop there last weekend, as they beat a double-digit favorite on the road.
Coming into the NFL playoffs, an argument could be made that the Arizona Cardinals didn't even deserve to be in the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
The Cardinals clinched a playoff spot in early December but didn't finish well down the stretch, losing to New England 47-7 in week 16. But large margins of defeat were not a rarity for Arizona this season. In their losses, the Cardinals have lost by an average of 18 points.
And that includes a 48-20 loss on the road in week 13 against the Eagles, whom the Cardinals host at 2 p.m. Sunday.
But surprisingly, tickets for the first-ever home playoff game in Arizona were pretty easy to acquire two weeks ago. The NFL actually granted the team two extra days to sell out the stadium so there would not be a local blackout.
Doesn't sound much like a playoff team, right? Wrong.
Arizona seems to have a chip on its shoulder, but doubters had a good body of evidence to believe the team wouldn't even win a game.
And right now the Cards are winning in an untraditional way - at least for this team.
Arizona ranked dead last in rushing yards per game this season, averaging 74 yards a game. But against Atlanta, who ranked second in the league with 153 yards a game, the Cardinals won the ground game, holding the Falcons to 60 yards.
Running the ball was also a winning formula against the Panthers, who ranked third in the league in rushing yards a game. This time the Cards gained 145 yards on the ground and did so without an explosive part of the offense in receiver Anquan Boldin, who could return this week.
Veteran Edgerrin James and rookie Tim Hightower - with a great deal of help from a revitalized offensive line - are leading the new found commitment to the run. James, who has been unhappy with his role throughout the season, said he doesn't feel like he will be back with the team next year.
Be the first to comment on this story