Jan 11, 2009

Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl?

Last night's game at Carolina was truly impressive in all phases of the game for the Arizona Cardinals. They effectively:

  • Shut down the Panthers vaunted rushing attack,
  • Completely jumped all over Jake Delhomme who was praised as an experienced, 'safe' QB who makes good decisions and takes care of the ball
  • Ran effectively despite being without Anquan Boldin (which should have allowed Carolina to focus more on the run)
  • and how about Larry Fitzgerald? He made some of the most unbelievable catches in recent memory.
So what can they do next week?

They aren't going to catch either the Eagles OR Giants by surprise in terms of protecting against the run. But if the Cards opponent tries to focus more on stopping the run, the key will be whether Anquan Boldin can return and be effective. If he can, the Cards have a chance. Even if they're playing in New York. Eli Manning's passing style is similar to Jake Delhomme's - a pocket passer who tends to favor the short to medium routes that the Cardinals completely exploited against Carolina.

It's going to be a great game either way.