By Phillip Murray

GLENDALE,  AZ

University of Phoenix stadium has been host to amazing football games both collegiate and professional. Saturday’s divisional playoff game proved to be thrilling enough to add to the collection. The last time the Cardinals and Packers met it was one sided 38-8 demolishing not Green bay. Saturday’s game was a complete turn around. For the first 3 quarters it was a game of conservative play calling and a close defensive battle. Aside from the 61 yard breakaway run by Eddie Lacey to set up Green Bay’s first score. The Cardinals led 7-6 at halftime. The Packers wanted to learn from their last meeting with Arizona by keeping their offense off the field as best as possible. The Packers used a short passing game to move the ball consistently and keep the Cardinals potent offense on the sideline. Green Bay converted 6 of 10 third-down opportunities in the first half, including 4 of 6 in the second quarter. The Cardinals offense barely broke a sweat in second quarter. It had one possession and punted after four plays. An offense that led the NFL in total yardage in the regular season gained 75 yards in the first half. The Packers kept the ball away from the Cardinals, fairly easily. There was still an issue that stalled the Packers initial plan of keeping the Card’s offense at bay, they couldn’t score touchdowns. The Packers had two consecutive 17-play drives in the first half and had the ball eight minutes more than the Cardinals in the second quarter, but failed twice to score in the end zone. To make matters worst their top receiver Randall Cobb left the game due to injury, leaving Aaron Rogers with no starting receivers.

The urgency began to increase in the second half with Green bay taking a 13-7 lead with a 8 yard TD pass from Rogers to Jeff Janis. With 10:17 left in the third…. Green Bay dominated statistically for much of the game. Arizona managed to move the ball up the field with efficiency but failed to score in the end zone. The Cardinals did manage to tie the game with two field goals and then went up 20-13 in the 4th at the result of an amazing deflected pass caught by Michael Floyd to score. Late in the 4th with only one time out and down by 7, Aaron Rogers had one of the greatest drives in his career… Starting with a 61 yard scrambling out of the pocket throw, Rogers averted a crucial 4 and 20 to hit Jeff Janis putting the packers at the 36. After an incomplete pass  that left 5 seconds in regulation, Aaron Rogers scrambled out of the pocket again to complete a last-minute 41 yard hail Mary to none other than Jeff Janis.  The TD follow in the kick would force the game to go into OT. That would be where Rogers and the Green Bay Packers comeback would end. After a controversial coin flip, the Cardinals were the first team to receive the football. Thus began the Larry Fitzgerald show.  On the first play of overtime, Carson Palmer spun away from a defender and threw across his body to an uncovered Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald darted through tacklers for 75 yards. He was tackled at the 5. On the next play, Palmer shoveled the ball to Fitzgerald who ran it in to give the Cardinals a 26-20 victory over the Packers Saturday night. Fitzgerald unquestionably was the player the game. Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 176 yards. The quarterbacks Al’s had a great passing night. Rodgers completed 24 of 44 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Palmer, in his first playoff victory in three tries, was 25-of-41 yards for 349 yards and three scores with two interceptions.. It can’t be any crazier than this one, which unfolded on the same field where the Cardinals beat the Packers in overtime 51-45 in a wild-card game in the 2009 season. The Cardinals await the winner of the Carolina Seattle game to face in the NFC championship next Sunday.