Cardinals – Packers game not suitable for the weak-hearted; Cards win in overtime

By Francisco Romero

The Arizona Cardinals advanced to the NFC Championship game after beating the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in overtime; it was a thriller.

What-a-game!

That was the reactions from Arizona fans, who witnessed a comeback from the Packers at the end of regulation to tie the game at 20 with a 41-yard hail-Mary touchdown from Aaron Rodgers to Jeff Janis, and then watched the Cardinals score on their first possession in overtime to get the win.

Veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald was key to the Cardinals win; on 1^st and 10, in the first play of overtime, Fitzgerald gained 75 yards on a short pass from quarterback Carson Palmer.

The long play set up the Cardinals’ winning touchdown; it was a five-yard pass to Fitzgerald once again.

The victory was the first playoff win for Palmer.

“(Larry Fitzgerald) was focused, determined, the guy is amazing, he does it all,” said Cardinals’ wide receiver Michael Floyd, referring to Fitzgerald. “We knew it was going to be a tough game, it’s the playoffs and we knew it was not going to be like the first game (against the Packers),” he added.

“Great Job, I could not be prouder over a bunch of guys, it just shows how good we are,” Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Arians told his players after the game. “We made the plays to win the game.”

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was emotionally hurt after Saturday’s game, “Heartbreaking loss. Congratulations to Arizona for moving on to the NFC championship. It’s a tough game to swallow. Our preparation was excellent. There wasn’t a doubt in our mind we’d win the football game. Tonight was a microcosm of our season, fighting through adversity,” said McCarthy.

Arizona will play the winner of the Seattle-Carolina game on January 24^th. If the Panthers win they will host the Cardinals in Charlotte; if the Seahawks win, the Cardinals will host Seattle at University of Phoenix Stadium.