The Powerball drawing is Wednesday night at 10 p.m. CT. Rodgers and the Packers, coming off a Wild-Card Playoff win last week against Washington, are preparing to face Arizona in the Divisional Round on Saturday night.
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The Cardinals had more sacks (nine) that points allowed (eight) that afternoon, a 38-8 whipping of Green Bay that left quarterback Aaron Rodgers beaten up and frustrated. The NFL’s fourth-leading passer, Carson Palmer (4,671 yards, 35 TDs), will play an integral role in the outcome of this game. The Cardinals had made it to the Super Bowl against Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa Bay, Florida, Feb. 1, 2009.
Past Meetings: The Packers lead the all-time series 45-24, including a stunning Cardinals playoff win in Glendale back in 2010 when Kurt Warner led the way to a 51-45 overtime win over Green Bay.
“I’d like to tell all the naysayers – how about those Packers and what they did yesterday”, said one caller to The Fan 107.5 in Green Bay.
Rodgers started the game going 1 of 8 on completed passes, while the Packers (11-6) were very unproductive in their opening four drives, which included a safety.
Last year, McCarthy took his team early to Seattle for the NFC Championship Game. Drawing defensive penalties with quick snaps, making adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and running the show the way few QBs can, Rodgers threw for a pair of TDs while Eddie Lacy and James Starks each ran for a score, and Green Bay came back to overwhelm the NFC East champion Redskins 35-18. It wasn’t until the Packers started doing that by using three-wide receiver sets and throwing outside and down the field that the complementary running game got rolling.
Rodgers suggests that the Packers will be the looser team and should be, as if that will make them the better team. We’ve seen what the Cardinals can do.
Tauscher also discussed which return from injury would mean more to the Packers – cornerback Sam Shields (concussion) or tackle David Bakhtiari (ankle). “Got a couple free plays and that’s kinda the one that got us going”. They’re regarded to be the best team in the league. “We turned it over, they turned it over, we go down and get a touchdown, it kind of turned that whole game around right before the half”. “But you look at them since we played them, they look like a completely different team”.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy on Monday: “We’re no underdog going to Arizona”.
When it comes to passing this season, Arizona is rated higher on both sides of the ball. Outside of the sack, Rodgers threw 21-for-36, 210 yards, and two touchdowns. “But to us, he plays like 12 every week”.
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The Redskins were not shy about marketing Kirk Cousins as the quarterback of the future on Sunday.
