Kurt Warner always seems to rise when it counts most. Holding most of the single-game records in playoff and Super Bowl history, he gave us another one for the ages last week. His stat line read 29 for 33, 379 passing yards and five touchdowns. Not bad for a guy that prior to the game against Green Bay was contemplating retirement.
Warner Looks For A Repeat Performance
Warner brings his Cardinals squad to New Orleans today, in a familiar underdog role trying to take down the top seed in the playoffs. Facing a New Orleans defense which withered down the stretch, its likely that the words “Warner to Fitzgerald” will be heard time and again during this afternoon’s matchup.
If you are going to defeat Warner, putting pressure on him is the key. New Orleans’ defense this year was defined by solid middle of the defense play by Jonathon Vilma, Darren Sharper and Roman Harper. Pressuring the quarterback in not their fortay, as only Will Smith can consistently get at the quarterback. If Warner is not pressured, he is going to feast on a New Orleans defense that makes big play, but does so inconsistently.
On the other side of the ball, the Arizona defense matches up nicely with the New Orleans offense. Drew Brees had a phenomenal season, playing very consistently all year long. Brees had just two blips on the season, Miami and Dallas. In both games, Brees was harassed by get-to-the-quarterback defenses.
New Orleans benefited greatly all season from matchups against defenses that didn’t put pressure on a pass happy offense. 12 of New Orleans’ 16 games this season came against pass rushes that ranked in the bottom half of the league. Minus the Philadelphia Eagles meltdown in Week 2, the Saints looked awful against the top pass rush teams that they played in Washington, Dallas and Miami.
For New Orleans to come out with a victory, they will need to establish the run to slow down a strong Arizona pass rush that ranked sixth in the NFL in sacks. The negatives look to be outweighing the postives entering today’s game. Toss in Tom Benson’s slobbering salute to Deuce McAllister that is nothing more than a distraction to their game plan preparation…Saints fans show get ready for Warner to pin a loss on them.
Prediction: Cardinals 38, Saints 34.
