FanHouse Preview: Falcons at Cardinals

Stay on top of all the postseason action with FanHouse's NFL playoff coverage.

It's the battle of the unlikely birds.

We have the Falcons, who are just a year away from being the league's laughingstock with a quarterback in prison and a coach who bailed the first time things got tough, against the Cardinals, who make the playoffs about as often as Vanderbilt wins a bowl game.

The Cardinals wrapped up a playoff spot weeks ago, but they're considered potential frauds because of their easy NFC West schedule. The Falcons had to wait a while longer, and they have to carry some skepticism because they've gone from being considered one of the league's worst teams to a playoff team in the span of three months and conventional wisdom often takes longer than that to catch up.

But both of these teams are only three wins away from the Super Bowl. It doesn't matter how they got here, as a couple of wins and fans can start dreaming of a trip to Tampa--even if there aren't enough Cardinals fans to sell out their stadium, much less to travel to the Super Bowl.


Three Key Questions:

1. Can the Cardinals block John Abraham?

2. How will rookie quarterback Matt Ryan handle playoff pressure?

3. Will the game be a point a minute free-for-all (like Arizona wants) or a ball-control game (like Atlanta wants)?

Players In The Spotlight: Levi Brown/Mike Gandy. The Cardinals ask a lot of their offensive tackles. As I mentioned in an earlier post this week, the Cardinals don't often give their tackles blocking help. But when they face Abraham this week, a decision to stick to their guns will likely mean multiple sacks and a forced fumble or two. Gandy, the Cardinals' left tackle, is an adequate pass blocker, and he's the man who likely will face Abraham for most of the game, but if the Falcons move Abraham around in search of the best matchups, Brown would be out of his league trying to block Abraham one-on-one.

Arizona's Path To Victory: Protect Kurt Warner and slow down the Falcons running game and Arizona will be celebrating. If Warner has time, the Cardinals' receivers are too good for the Falcons to completely handcuff them. Warner has not had as much success in the second half of the season, but he's still finished second in the league in passing yards, third in passing touchdowns and third in passer rating. If the Cardinals can score 30+ points, they should be able to outscore the Falcons.

Atlanta Path To Victory: Michael Turner finished second in the league in rushing, and his backup, Jerious Norwood, is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. Ryan has shown no tendency to get tight in pressure-packed games, but the Falcons would be wise to let Turner and Norwood take a lot of pressure off of Ryan by putting him in third and shorts. If they can do that, Ryan can provide the occasional big play to Roddy White. But more importantly, the Falcons would be keeping the ball away from Warner and Co., which would ensure the game is played more at Atlanta's pace.

One Interesting Tidbit: The Cardinals have completely bagged their running game as the season has gone along. They rank last in the league in rushing offense. There have only been 10 teams since 1970 who have made the playoffs that ranked last or second to last in rushing offense. Those 10 teams are 1-10 in the playoffs.

Prediction: Atlanta 28, Arizona 27.