Cardinals shake off Packers in OT

Green Bay Packers quarter-back Aaron Rodgers sent the game into overtime with a superb 41-yard touchdown pass that sent the game into overtime, thus prompting the need for a coin-flip to determine the direction each team would play. On the first play from scrimmage, Carson Palmer hit a wide-open Larry Fitzgerald with a pass at about the Arizona 35, and Fitzgerald’s incredible run after the catch took the ball all the way to the five-yard line.

The Cardinals received the ball first and got straight to the point as the first play of OT was a pass from Palmer to his veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald that went for 75 yards.

The Cardinals had the honor of scoring the games first touchdown by Michael Floyd. Jeff Janis scored a touchdown for Green Bay in the third to go up 13 yo 7.

The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers last night in Arizona by the final score of 26-20, with an overtime quarter necessary for the win. Palmer got picked off in the end zone early in the fourth. Floyd also had an eight-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.

– Eddie Lacy, Packers, ran for 89 yards on 12 carries in Green Bay’s 26-20 overtime loss at Arizona. But Aaron Rodgers can’t rightfully call out his defense – which by the way had multiple chances to tackle Fitzgerald AFTER he made the catch that set up the game-winning score for Arizona – so he had to make it all about the officials.

Rodgers threw for 261 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 24-of-44 passing Saturday night.

Arizona’s Patrick Peterson appeared to have returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter, but it was overturned after a hands-to-the-face penalty on Cardinals defensive lineman Frostee Rucker.

Their opponent in the NFC Championship will be known by the end of Sunday – either the 15-1 Carolina Panthers or their NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks, a game that the Cards will host if Seattle pulls off the win. “I’m sure that would have been a little bit of controversy if we had won”, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said after the game. “So, tremendous football play – blood and guts, however you want to describe it. And I think that was a great reflection of our football team”.

The Cardinals caught a break on the Packers’ next series when a 49-yard pass from Rodgers to Cobb was called back because of an illegal offensive shift.

“It was a roller coaster on the sidelines”, Arizona coach Bruce Arians said.

Palmer admitted winning a playoff game “feels better than I thought”, but added the Cardinals – and Palmer – have bigger goals.

For the first time since 2008, the Arizona Cardinals are back in the NFC Championship Game.

In the ninth, however, Palmer, back and playing well after missing three games with a shoulder injury, was sidelined with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, suffered while being sacked.

Then on the last drive of regulation for both teams, Rodgers showed why he is widely known as a super cool and focused signal caller no matter what the situation is during a game. “He comes out and throws three touchdowns and leads us in the second half with the way he performed”.