2009 NFL Playoffs Wild Card: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals

The last NFL playoff game from Wild Card weekend will feature the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, which are two teams that went a combined 13-7 during the last two months of the NFL regular season.

The Packers (11-5) have quietly put together a solid season with a top rated quarterback and defense while the Cardinals (10-6) are looking to finish off what they did not in last year's Super Bowl.

The Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers continued to step out of Brett Favre's shadow in 2009 with a Pro Bowl season. Rodgers ended the season completing 64.7% of his passes for 4,434 yards with 30 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. Rodgers was able to remain at Pro Bowl level despite being sacked 50 times through 16 games.

The lesser-known strength of the Packers in 2009 was their defensive unit. They were the top -ated defense against the run, allowing only 83.3 yards per game, and were ranked seventh in scoring, allowing their opponents to score only 18.6 points per game.

The key for the Packers will be their ability to force the Cardinals into making bad decisions and turn the ball over. The Packers' defense recorded 30 interceptions during the season, which was most in the NFL.

The star of the unit is cornerback Charles Woodson, who had a career year in 2009. He picked off 9 passes with 4 forced fumbles and 2 sacks. Woodson help get his team on the board by converting 3 of the interceptions into touchdowns.

The Cardinals season started off slow but turned things on as the season progressed. Especially their running game that has gained at least 110 yards on the ground in their last three wins. Running backs beanie Wells and Tim Hightower, who averaged at least 4.2 yards per carry, will need to continue this production if the Cardinals are going to win.

All eyes will be on wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald who will be covered by Woodson. Everyone remembers the dominating performance he had last playoffs for the Cardinals when he hauled in 36 receptions for 627 yards and 9 touchdowns. The one thing that could hold him back is if wide receiver Anquan Boldin is unable to play through his injury.

The Cardinals will have a good chance at earning the win if the defensive tackle Darnell Dockett can have a big game. On the season he has recorded 7 sacks and has been forcing teams to double team him. If Dockett can keep pressure on Rodgers and shut down the inside lanes, the rest of the Cardinals defense will be free to make plays.

While the Cardinals have shown they are a dangerous team in the NFL playoffs, so are the Green Bay Packers. The Packers will be able to create important turnovers with their defense and put the Cardinals behind the eight ball.

The game will be a close one until the fourth quarter when the running game will take over and help the Packers advance to the second round.

Prediction Green Bay 31 Arizona 21

Resources

http://www.nfl.com/

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl