NFC Championship Preview
1/12/2009 | Posted by
Devin
Sunday January 18th 2009
3:00 PM EST : FOX
The Cardinals have continued their improbable run
and now host the NFC Championship, a first since relocating to the desert many decades ago. Arizona has beaten the odds twice this post-season with a wild card victory over Atlanta and a shocking upset against the Carolina Panthers.
The Philadelphia Eagles are also riding a little hot streak as they travel west to Glendale for their fifth NFC championship appearance this decade. Head Coach Andy Reid and QB Donovan McNabb have been with the team for all five, however they have consistently fallen short in the quest for a Championship.
These two teams previously met this season. The Eagles completely dominated Arizona in one of the Thanksgiving day games in Philadelphia, 48-20. The Cardinals had just lost a very tough home game to the Giants and had to travel all the way to the East Coast on a short week, which put them at a huge disadvantage. Kurt Warner threw three interceptions that game and Brian Westbrook delighted fantasy owners with four touchdowns.
In the week prior to the first match-up, Donovan McNabb was benched by Reid in what many are saying was a turning point for the Eagles this season. Following the benching, the Eagles won the next four out of five games to gain a post-season berth and have since followed that up with two more victories, both on the road.
Both the Eagles and Cardinals are led by veteran quarterbacks and strong defenses.
The Cardinals forced six turnovers, including five interceptions of quarterback Jake Delhomme in the divisional round. The Eagles shut down the Giants and forced Eli Manning into throwing two interceptions while keeping the Giants out of the end zone for the entire game. If this game comes down to coaching, Andy Reid has the advantage of being a head coach in the big game, but Ken Wisenhunt of Arizona has already won a Super Bowl while serving as the offensive coordinator for Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL. Both teams have relied heavily on their passing game throughout the season. The Eagles are known to run the ball more than Arizona, but the combination of Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter get plenty of action in the passing game as well.
The Cardinals almost completely ignored their running game during the season, prompting Edgerrin James to say that this season will be his last in Arizona. However, that trend changed once the post-season started. James led the way against Atlanta with 16 carries for 73 yards, while rookie Tim Hightower had 6 carries for 23 yards and 1 touchdown. Against Carolina the duel threat of James and Hightower combined for 37 carries, 156 yards, and 1 touchdown.
The Arizona faithful sold this game out in six minutes, which is a change of pace from when the NFL had to extend the blackout deadline for their match-up with Atlanta. You can expect Arizona to keep the roof closed to create as much crowd noise as possible. If the Eagles can shut down Larry Fitzgerald, they should be able to win and get back to the big game.
Eagles 27-10.
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