Offense will be the name of the game this divisional round Saturday as the weekend kicks off in the Metrodome with the NFC regular season champion New Orleans Saints taking on an Arizona Cardinals team that has given new meaning to the phrase “survive and advance.”
What. A. Game. After a weekend of ho-hum blowouts, the Cardinals hosted leading candidate for game of the year in a thrilling overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers 51-45. In what could be considered one of the greatest playoff games ever played, a number of milestones were reached for both teams, including most combined points in playoff history (96), over 1000 total yards (1024), as well as Packers franchise record for single game postseason passing yards (422) and points scored (45). However, the true story of the game was Kurt Warner, who ended the day with a line of 29/33 for 379 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions; as close to a perfect game as any quarterback could ever play.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints earned the right to take the week off, which apparently is something they’ve gotten used to. After having their bid for a perfect season fall short in Dallas in week 15, the Saints seemed to take their foot off the gas pedal, conceding two straight losses to the likes of Tampa Bay and Carolina. Statistically, the Saints are poised as the team to beat, boasting the number one offense in the NFL during the regular season while accumulating 510 total points (the only team to eclipse the 500 mark), and being lead by the quarterback with the highest QB rating in the league in Drew Brees. However, games aren’t played on stat keep sheets, and in order for the Saints to their Super Bowl hopes alive, they’ll have to translate their regular season success into postseason efficiency.
It’s hard to believe that the Cardinals could really be the favorite in this game, but if we’ve learned anything from last Sunday’s barn burner, it is that a Kurt Warner lead team is not a team to count out. I’ve mentioned this in past articles, and while I’m not a huge believer in home field advantage (especially for a fellow dome team) I feel the Metrodome will need to be rocking in order for the Saints to prevail in this contest. Kurt Warner will have his Cardinals ready to play on Saturday, that much is a given. The question will not be how the Saints can stop him, but how they can contain him. Limiting turnovers will be the key, and with the 3rd best turnover ratio in the league during the regular season, all evidence points to the Saints being able to diffuse the Cardinals. Of course, they still have to play the game.
Final Score: Arizona 38 – Saints 30
