Now that I’ve had some time to cool off, I can now address the Chicago Bears’ heart-breaking loss to the Houston Texans last Sunday. Chicago entered Sunday’s must-win contest with two possible scenarios to make it into the playoffs. If they won and Minnesota lost to the Giants, the Bears would claim the division title and host a wild-card game. If the Vikings won, the Bears could still make it in as a wild-card with losses from Dallas and Tampa Bay. Minnesota ended up beating New York with a last-second field goal, Tampa Bay ended up losing a fist-fight with the Raiders of all teams, and Dallas fell into despair thanks to the Eagles in the afternoon game. Of course, all of these possibilities required a Bears win in Houston that never happened. Lovie Smith’s crew never showed the desperation and intensity you would expect of a team fighting to make it into the post-season.

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The playoffs are finally here, and not a moment too soon. After a crazy regular season, twelve teams are left with their eyes on the Super Bowl. Let’s get you ready for this weekend with a wild-card edition of the Opening Drive.

Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7)

Arizona made the playoffs simply by beating up on the NFC West. No other team in their division was over .500, and Seattle and St. Louis are two of the worst teams in the NFL. The Cardinals went 6-0 against their NFC West rivals and 3-7 against the rest of the league. That statistic doesn’t bode well for Arizona as they’ve lost four of their last six and welcome the surging Atlanta Falcons into the University of Phoenix Stadium. Matt Ryan is the offensive rookie of the year and leads a balanced attack against a weak Cardinal defensive unit. This is one of the more lop-sided match-ups of the weekend. Kurt Warner and his stellar wide receiving corps may keep the Cardinals in the game for a while, but Michael Turner and the Falcon offensive line will be the key. If they can maintain the time of possession and keep Warner on the sideline Atlanta will extend their already fantastically successful season.

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It is weekends like the one we just had that make me glad I don’t make actual predictions in my blog. I would have been at best two for four, and maybe even one for four if I had gone with the Dolphins as a sentimental favorite. Showcasing its parity, each day of the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend followed different themes. On Saturday, the home teams pulled out the close victories, while on Sunday the road teams won in a more lop-sided manner. Let’s take a look at the weekend that was in this Wild Card edition of the Final Drive. 

Arizona Cardinals 30, Atlanta Falcons 24

In much the same vein as Miami, it was hard not to root for Arthur Blank’s Falcons as they traveled to Arizona to take on the reeling Cardinals. Unfortunately, they must have misplaced their identity in transit. The normally accurate and poised Matt Ryan threw two costly interceptions and dropped back to pass a staggering forty times, while Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood only racked up 54 yards combined on their twenty carries. Contrast that with the Cardinal’s performance, as Kurt Warner completed 19 for 32 with two touchdowns and only one interception. Even more surprising was the re-emergence of Edgerrin James, who found an unusual amount of running room against the Atlanta defensive front, rushing for 73 yards on only 16 carries. While they only averaged a little over three yards a carry, Arizona ran the ball 28 times, which is a drastic change of tactics for their normally pass-happy offense. Cardinal receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin each had lengthy touchdown receptions early, giving Ken Wisenhunt’s team the lead. Atlanta appeared to have regained the momentum going into halftime after scoring 17 points in the second quarter. That momentum was derailed when Antrel Rolle recovered a Ryan fumble for a touchdown within the opening minute of the second half. The Cardinals shut out the Falcons in the third quarter while tallying sixteen points of their own, securing the victory and propelling them into a match-up with the Carolina Panthers next weekend.

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In what can only be described as ingenious regular-season scheduling on the NFL’s part, each of this weekend’s divisional contests are rematches from the regular season. That fact only serves to heighten the drama as we head into what is, in my opinion, the best weekend in all of football. After Wild Card Weekend gets rid of some of the riff-raff or gives surprise teams a chance to continue their run at the Super Bowl, the Divisional round ups the ante by adding the cream of the crop back into the mix after their bye weeks. This weekend’s slate of action looks to be an excellent one. I get you ready right here, right now. 

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans, CBS, Saturday 4:30 PM (ET)

Week five’s meeting between the Titans and Ravens was a defensive struggle, with Tennessee winning 13-10. Kerry Collins was a mere manager of the game while rookie Joe Flacco was finding his way early in his first season as a pro. This time around things are much different, as Collins has proved his ability to fling it when necessary and Flacco has completed his first regular season in impressive fashion. There are plenty of similarities between these two squads. They both feature a strong dose of running the ball on offense while stopping the run on defense, and their rankings in those categories correlate. Baltimore ranks 4th in rushing and 2nd in overall defense, while Tennessee ranks 7th in both. Each team’s passing game is suspect (Tennessee is at 27, while Baltimore sits right behind at 28), so there won’t be too many plays to be made through the air. I may trust Collins more than I trust Flacco, but the Ravens defense is too scary to ignore. Honestly though, can I really pick a rookie head coach in John Harbaugh over the wily veteran Jeff Fisher? This one is a “pick-em.” You can’t go wrong either way. Just sit back and watch a game that is sure to hearken back to the league’s olden days.

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This year’s NFL action hasn’t failed to deliver intriguing storylines, and the Divisional round continued that trend. This round’s upsets have produced a fresh and exciting conference championship Sunday. Let’s find out how we got here with a look at last weekend’s action in the Final Drive.

Baltimore Ravens 13, Tennessee Titans 10

In a score reversal of their regular season meeting, the Baltimore Ravens imposed their will upon the top-seeded Titans. Despite being dominated in almost every statistical category, the Ravens found a way to win. Their defense created three Titan turnovers, all of which were in Raven territory, stopping drives that at least would have ended in field goals. In two post-season outings, the Ravens have forced the two best teams in terms of turnover differential (Dolphins 1st, Titans 2nd)   into eight giveaways. Cautious not to make mistakes, Joe Flacco and the offense never turned it over, opting instead to punt it eight times and win the field position battle. It turned out to be the formula for success against Tennessee. Well, that and knocking rookie sensation Chris Johnson out of the game. Johnson left late in the first half with an ankle injury and never returned. He was the focal point of the Titans offense, racking up 72 rushing yards on only 11 carries and catching a 28 yard pass from Kerry Collins. After his departure, Tennessee had no luck on the ground, and their only threat came from wide-out Justin Gage, who apparently was saving himself for the playoffs. This loss spotlights the need for more playmakers in Tennessee, because their offense as it stands is too predictable. Collins is not the answer at quarterback, their receivers are well-below average, and their running game can’t support them against great defenses. Baltimore gets to move on in the playoffs, buoyed by John Harbaugh’s fantastic coaching job and Flacco’s ability to manage the game. Now they get Pittsburgh for a third time this season. Congratulations.

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For the second straight week, all of the NFL’s contests are rematches. Who are the ad wizards that are responsible for this? I smell a fix! (I kid, I kid.) After my two favorite football weekends of the year, this Sunday is without question the best singular day of action. I’ve got you covered with all the details in the penultimate edition of the Opening Drive.

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals, Fox, 3:00 PM (ET)

Are Cardinal fans appropriately freaked out yet? Your former “trash heap of the NFL” franchise has won two playoff games they had no chance of winning against two of the better squads in the NFC and now they’re HOSTING the NFC Championship! Kurt Warner is a victory away from returning to the Super Bowl and what could be a Hall of Fame seal of approval. As well as Warner has performed in this post-season, the reason the Cardinals are fighting for the NFC title is the shocking improvement of their defense. They have shut down two of the best running attacks in the league in Carolina and Atlanta, and have forced nine turnovers in those two outings. This Sunday they get a rematch with a physical Eagle defensive unit that will hope to put major pressure on Warner and his offensive line. Eagle corner Asante Samuel will have his hands full with receiver Larry Fitzgerald for most of the afternoon with a lot of help over-the-top from a safety. That is, if Fitzgerald’s teammate Anquan Boldin misses his second straight game. The injured wide-out has been suffering from a sore hamstring since his touchdown reception against the Falcons. If he is able to play even a few snaps, that will allow Fitzgerald to get open down the field and make the freak athletic plays we’ve seen from him in the playoffs. If he has another explosive day, it will be hard for the Eagles to keep up. Philly’s offense must take it to the Cardinals early, and their running game must be the focal point. Brian Westbrook needs to have a better day than he did against the Giants, where he couldn’t eclipse 50 all-purpose yards. McNabb can’t commit the costly turnovers that got him benched the week before Thanksgiving game, or he will miss a golden opportunity to win his first Super Bowl. Reid’s Eagles can’t trust the outcome of their Thanksgiving Day thrashing of the Cardinals either, since Arizona was playing on four days of rest and traveling to the East coast. Ken Wisenhunt has his team fired up for a charge to Tampa, and another stand-out game by Warner could get them there.

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After some tremendous post-season play, the Super Bowl is set. In this edition of the Final Drive, I look back at Sunday’s Conference Championship games.

Arizona Cardinals 32, Philadelphia Eagles 25

Is everyone done picking against the Cardinals now? They’ve only rattled off three consecutive victories against teams that were supposed to pummel them. I stopped downplaying their success after their smackdown of Carolina, which was then substantiated by an outstanding effort against the favored Eagles. Arizona’s defense continued its impressive post-season run by forcing three Philly turnovers and turning them into scores. While the Eagles were settling for two field goals early, the Cardinals had already scored two touchdowns, forcing Andy Reid to move away from his running game. Donovan McNabb shouldered the offense for another week as the Cardinal defense did an excellent job of taking Brian Westbrook out of the equation. McNabb ended up with 375 yards and three touchdowns, but did have two turnovers (1 fumble, 1 INT) on his record as well. Westbrook’s lack of playoff production finally caught up with the Eagles, and they were subsequently eliminated in another NFC title game. Andy Reid will be back as head coach next season, but McNabb’s future has not been officially confirmed. If he’s not back, it would be one of the worst personnel moves in NFL history. He kept the Eagles in the playoff hunt as the regular season ended, and when January rolled around he performed admirably without any help from a running game. He is a top-tier NFL quarterback, hands-down. On Sunday though, Arizona had one of their own. Kurt Warner proved his value to the Cardinals with a 21 for 28, 279 yards, and four touchdown performance on Sunday. He should also be thanking Larry Fitzgerald, who caught three of those touchdowns within his nine reception afternoon. Fitzgerald embarrassed the Eagle secondary, catching all three touchdowns in the first two quarters. Ken Wisenhunt’s squad was pushed to their limits by Philly, even losing the lead with about ten minutes left in the contest. In spite of the pressure, the Cardinals mounted a 14-play, 72-yard drive that sucked up almost eight minutes of clock and ended up in the end zone. It was the best the Cardinals looked all season, and it came at the perfect moment. Now it is time to see if their storybook season has a perfect ending.

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After years of being the “sexy pick” of the NFC West, Ken Wisenhunt's Arizona Cardinals finally lived up to the hype this season by beating up on the mediocre teams in their division and winning the NFC Championship.

Kurt Warner beat out Matt Leinart for the starting job in the preseason and had a near MVP-level performance for the year, totaling over 4500 yards with 30 touchdowns. For a 37-year old quarterback who is supposed to be the decline, that’s mighty impressive. Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston each had over 1,000 receiving yards, making their case for the best receiver corps in the NFL. Fitzgerald has been a freak in the post-season, but Boldin has been hampered buy a hamstring problem which resulted in a lot of time on the sidelines and an altercation with O-Coordinator Todd Haley. The Cards boasted the league’s worst running attack with a rotating cast of veteran Edgerrin James, rookie Tim Hightower and fourth year man J.J. Arrington never establishing any rhythm. James has come on late to provide a decent balance to the offense, due to his fresh legs and professional attitude. The defense had been suspect for much of the year, never being able to consistently hold up against the run, despite the play of Pro Bowler Adrian Wilson. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Antrel Rolle form a talented and youthful cornerback tandem and their play has only improved down the stretch.

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When the NFL’s regular season match-ups were announced, the Pittsburgh Steelers were already at a disadvantage. They were handed the league’s toughest schedule, which included meetings with the NFC East and AFC South, along with the always competitive AFC North of which the Steelers are a part.  When you factor that in with the injuries they sustained during the season, particularly in the running game with Willie Parker missing an extended amount of time, first rounder Rashard Mendenhall put on IR after week four, the same as guard Kendall Simmons, it’s astonishing the Steelers made it to Tampa.

This season’s trip to the Super Bowl is a testament to Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to make the big play when it matters, unlike their Super Bowl season in 2005 when he was just managing the game and handing off to Jerome Bettis. Roethlisberger is a top-tier NFL quarterback because of his ability to take big hits and keep the play alive, which ironically is the biggest flaw in his game and could cut his career short. He had a few scares this year, injuring his throwing shoulder, throwing hand, and suffering a mild concussion in the regular season finale, but he’s rebounded dramatically to lead his team through the playoffs against brutal competition in the Chargers and rival Ravens. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are a dangerous combination at wide receiver, with Ward’s blocking and chain-moving grabs and Holmes’s explosive speed. Tight end Heath Miller, Big Ben’s favorite target, missed a few games during the middle of the year, but finished strong as the Steelers climbed to the number two seed in the AFC. Miller is a big part of the Steelers’ red zone offense, and Ben loves to look his way. On special teams, Holmes has bolstered his value with timely touchdowns or great field position for his ball-control offense off of his punt returns.

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Now that I’ve adequately covered each individual team, now it’s time to analyze the game between them! It’s the last game of the season so it’s also the last edition of the Opening Drive!

Obviously the sexy match-up is going to be Arizona’s high powered offense squaring off against the Steelers’ hard-nosed defense. 37-year old Kurt Warner is leading his second team to a Super Bowl and will be the key to any Cardinal upset. Well, he could be the key if the offensive line protects him against Dick LeBeau’s blitzing linebackers. Pittsburgh plays a 3-4 defense, meaning three linemen and four linebackers. In that type of defense, you’re typically going to rush at least one linebacker in passing situations. The Steeler linebackers excel at sacking the quarterback, and defensive MVP James Harrison isn’t the only concern for the Cardinal offensive line. Every Steeler linebacker is a playmaker and makes the man beside him that much better. Keeping Warner upright is of the utmost importance, because he’s known to have a fumbling problem as he gets pressured up the middle. As long as Russ Grimm’s offensive line lets Kurt step up in the pocket, he’ll be accurate and quick on his deliveries. How else are Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston going to be able to get all of their touches? Another important note will be the running of Edgerrin James out of the backfield. His production could offset the pass rush by keeping the defense on the heels and not on their toes. If he fails to make any significant ground or offensive coordinator Todd Haley gives up on the run, Arizona will be in a load of trouble. Troy Polamalu will be stalking in the secondary, ready to snap up an interception of any forced or pressured Warner throws. If Arizona falls behind early, it will be an almost insurmountable climb out of the hole.

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