Green Bay was able to kick two field goals during the first half. The Panthers got some measure of revenge past year when they defeated the Cardinals 27-16 in the wild-card round last season, although Arizona was on its fourth quarterback of the season in Ryan Lindley. Arizona drove 74 yards after Janis’ touchdown catch but bogged down once it hit the red zone.
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Unlike the Lions, though, Arizona had the opportunity to bounce back and they did so superbly in OT, with Carson Palmer completing this pass to legendary receiver Larry Fitzgerald that set up the game winning touchdown for Fitzgerald moments later.
“It comes down to a coin flip sometimes after a long hard-fought game”, Rodgers added. All I care about is that I couldn’t catch my breath from the fourth quarter on as every play was absolutely insane. David Johnson is a dual-threat dynamo who can score any time he touches the ball, while Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd make up one of the most talented wide receiver trios in the league.
“It was a roller coaster on the sidelines”, Arizona coach Bruce Arians said.
Two plays later, Palmer flipped a shovel pass to Fitzgerald, who streaked from the left and bulled his way into the end zone. But they blitzed on the first play of overtime out of a nickel defense.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers scrambles for a 19-yard gain Saturday night during the Divisional playoff matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The coin toss prior to overtime was initially flubbed by the official, who watched it fall to the ground without turning over and had to flip it a second time, but once play started the Cardinals struck on the opening drive.
But, Wrolstad turned to the Patriots players and said, “You win the toss”. During the rest of the game, Fitzgerald caught six more balls for 96 yards and was a one-man wrecking crew. “No matter what happened on the last play, you’ve got to go good, bad or ugly on the next play, and that’s basically what our football team did”.
Jeff Janis, who had only four career catches before Saturday, caught seven passes for 145 yards, including the desperation tying touchdown throw from Rodgers and another stunning 60-yard pass on fourth down to sustain the scoring drive. “He was showing heads, so I called tails, and it didn’t flip”.
Another short pass – this time, a little flip – from Palmer to Fitzgerald, sent L.F. skipping into the end zone, notching the touchdown, winning the contest, and earning the Cardinals a berth in the NFC Championship Game. Carson Palmer had 349 yards 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
“One’s a classic drop-back player from the pocket”, Arians said.
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In the second quarter, Peterson’s 100-yard interception return was negated by a penalty.
