NFC Wild Card Playoff: Big Dead 30, Falcons 24

PREGAME
I had a good time blogging last year's playoff games, so I'm taking another stab at it this year, beginning with the Falcons-Cardinals game in about 10 minutes.

Good luck to Kurt Warner, but I'm rooting for Atlanta to win.

Blogging will be as close to live-time as I can possibly do it, but I will probably lag behind a little to rewind plays on TiVo.

NBC has pulled Tom Hammond out of Notre Dame's ass to call the game and paired him with Cris Collinsworth.

FIRST QUARTER
Falcons kick off; JJ Arrington plays the bouncing ball poorly and barely gets it across the 10.
Atlanta doesn't usually blitz much but they do on the first play of the game and nearly get Warner. Incomplete for Fitzgerald down the Arizona sideline.
Deep pass up the other sideline for, believe it or not, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, well underthrown when Keith Brooking hits Warner.
3rd-10. Dumpoff to Ben Patrick gets 7.
Harry Douglas brings a 50-yard punt back across midfield.

Early advantage, Atlanta.
Ryan rolls right and scrambles for 3.
Dansby drags Turner down in the backfield for a 1-yard gain.
3rd-6. Ryan throws it RIGHT TO Arizona CB Ralph Brown at the Cardinal 35. Terrible play by the rookie QB, who the Cards did not have any extra pressure on. So much for the early advantage.

Edgerrin James gets about 7 over the left side.
Draw to Edge gets the first down across midfield.
Cards run Edge again, which sets up a flea flicker the next play. Lawyer Milloy bit a little on the fake and Fitzgerald makes a splendid leaping catch in the end zone to put Arizona up 7-0.
Kickoff is a touchback, and just like that, Arizona has all the momentum.
This next possession for Atlanta is already a big one.

Uh-oh. Turner stuffed on first down, followed by a false start.
John Parry's crew, a good one, I believe, tabbed to call today's game.
Turner gets the penalty yardage back, 3rd-and-10.
First down to Roddy White on the home sideline. Big play.
Cardinals appeared to jump offsides, no call, Ryan has to chuck it out of bounds under heavy pressure. Just when I say something nice about officials.
Cardinals are not known for their run defense but they just stuffed Turner again. They use a defensive timeout with 3rd-and-13 coming up.
Sack for Chike Okeafor as Ryan can't find an open man downfield.
Rolle and Rodgers-Cromartie fight one another for the punt. Rolle fields it but Atlanta's awesome punt coverage unit holds him to losing a yard.

From their 25, pitch left to Edge for 5.
Fitzgerald beats Chris Houston up the seam for 31. Ball at Atl 40.
Edge gets a big hole, bounces off a tackle and goes outside right for 7. Atlanta's poor run D is sinking them. Cards use their second timeout after the play.
Draw to Arrington for a loss. 3rd-5.
Warner has Boldin open across the middle short but he drops it. Running with it before he caught it.
Arizona downs the punt around the 7.

Turner left for 3.
Ryan fake pitches but his deep corner pass for Michael Jenkins on the home sideline is broken up by Roderick Hood. 3rd-7.
Bertran Berry WHIPS Sam Baker for a sack. 2nd sack for the Cardinals, who are dominating this game.
Steve Breaston nearly fumbles the bouncing punt but is down safely at the Arizona 45.

Falcons blitz on 1st down again, as Foxworth covers Fitzgerald pretty well up the Atlanta sideline for an incomplete.
Safety blitz by Atlanta this time; Warner gets rid of it just as he's hauled down. 3rd-10.
Arizona - What happened to the run?
Warner steps up and throws it RIGHT TO Brooking, but it goes through his hands.
Douglass swamped inside the 10 on the punt return.

Atlanta from their 8.
Turner up the middle for 2.
Ryan beats a blitz and hits White for a first down at the 20.
Turner gets big hole at left end but only gets 2 yards out of it.
He closes the quarter with easily his best run of the day, driving through a couple of tackles for 8 and a first down.

Arizona 7, Atlanta 0 after 1

SECOND QUARTER
One thing I was expecting out of today's game, that we're apparently going to get, is a lot more scoring. I was thinking in the 60-point range. Instead, Arizona's defense has shown up big time.

There's been some controversy that the Cardinals have their dome roof closed today despite the weather being nice in the area. I assure you Bill Bidwill has the roof closed to keep those people on the mountaintop in one of the earlier shots from being able to see any of the game for free.

After a mass audible, Turner blasts off left tackle for 13. Uh-oh, the Falcon running game is getting untracked.
Jenkins catches a short pass and gains another 13 across midfield.
The Falcons apparently don't have hand signals for audibles. Ryan has to tell several players the play in person, and they pass it on to the players further outside.
Turner catches a pass for 8. The difference for the Falcons right now is that they have gone no-huddle. Good move, it even looked at the end of the 1st like Arizona was wearing down a little anyway.
Turner up the middle for another first down off a fake end-around.
Harry Douglas continues to have a rough day, DRILLED by Hood on a screen. 2nd-11 outside the Arizona 30.
Another smoke route to White on the home sideline, and he gains the first down. Falcons at the 20.
Great play by Jerious Norwood, who picks up a blitz and falls on Marcus Pollard's fumble at the 20.
2nd-10.
Turner loses a yard. Falcons went full-huddle for that play. 3rd-10.
Hood falls and leaves Jenkins wide open at the 11. Jenkins appears to extend the ball for the first down, but the refs don't give it to him. Falcons call timeout, 4th and inches at the 11. Jenkins did a good job concentrating on his sideline footwork and extending the ball but may have missed a chance for a TD. His back was to Hood when Hood fell. Collinsworth says Atlanta should challenge the spot. I agree. Actually, he agrees with me. I was ahead of him both on that and Atlanta going no-huddle. :)
Atlanta does not challenge, however, and Jason Elam's FG makes it 7-3, Arizona. Funky defensive alignment by the Cards there; I think they were guarding against a fake.

Cards start at the 28 after the kickoff.
Warner throws a quick pass right at (Hey) Biermann, who knocks it down like Bill Russell stuffing Spud Webb. Little screen pass to Boldin gains only 1.
Atlanta blitzes a DB the next play and pays dearly for it. Warner finds Boldin in the flat and he outruns Lawyer Milloy's awful coverage all the way up the Arizona sideline for a 70-yard TD.
Arizona 14, Atlanta 3.

Atlanta's defense is just such a mess today. They're blitzing a lot more than they typically do and their secondary is getting burned badly. All set up by Arizona running well early. Then again, the last two drives, Arizona hasn't even tried to run, and Atlanta has adjusted for that very, very poorly.

Looks like Boldin tweaked a hammy on the TD run.

Falcons at their 24 after the kickoff. Ryan to White for 5, and about 8 more on another smoke route.
WHITE DROPS A BEAUTIFUL BOMB FROM RYAN INSIDE THE CARDINAL 30. 2nd-10.
Wild high ball for Jenkins on the Arizona sideline incomplete. 3rd-10.
Norwood picks up another blitz; Ryan steps up and hits Jenkins on the Cardinal sideline for 21.
Ryan barely avoids a sack and connects with Jenkins for 5.
Falcons in no-huddle again. Delay handoff to Turner gets nowhere. 3rd-6.
4-man rush by Arizona; Ryan beats it and hits White on a comeback for 8. Big first down.
Falcons at about the 30. Ryan has to throw the first down pass away under pressure from Darnell Dockett.
11 over the middle to White. Pass protection has been the story of this drive.
Ryan has all day and scrambles around right end for 2. Surprised Norwood wasn't open; nobody picked him up when he went into motion right out of the backfield.
A couple more for Turner. It's 3rd-6.
Ryan hits Finneran for a first down in the flat at the 8-yard line.
And Turner coasts in for a TD to make the score 14-10 Arizona. More than anything, the LBs were fooled and didn't think the play was going outside. Turner's TD was never in doubt.

The Arizona fans who DIDN'T EVEN SELL OUT THEIR STADIUM for the FIRST HOME PLAYOFF GAME IN FRANCHISE HISTORY BOO their team on the play.

Kickoff is a touchback with 2:55 before halftime.
Edge - NOW they're running? - runs into his own man and gets no gain.
Warner dumpoff is incomplete with good pressure from (Hey) Biermann coming. 3rd-10.
INTERCEPTION as Warner's short throw is behind Jhereme Urban, off his shoulder pad, and into Chevis Jackson's hands. Atlanta ball at the Arizona 23.

Ryan up top to Pollard for 6 at the 2:00 warning.
Turner surges up the middle for 4. First down. Turner blew Dansby's helmet off.
Gabe Watson offsides. Atlanta back inside the 10.
Pretty play action, Ryan has White WIDE OPEN in the corner of the end zone but overthrows him BADLY. 2nd-5, 1:12 left in half.
Timeout, Atlanta.
HANDOFF to Turner gets one. 3rd-4 from the 7.
Ryan hits his go-to man White on a flare route right at the first-down marker. First and goal at the 3. 27 seconds left.
Play action, and Justin Peelle is WIDE OPEN in the back of the end zone and Ryan hits him on the roll right for a TD and a 17-14 Falcon lead.

Arrington tentatively brings the kickoff out from deep in the end zone and only gets to the 16. Looks like Arizona'll be falling on it with just 0:17 left. No, but a quick screen to Fitzgerald does bupkus to the strains of BOOS from the home crowd.

Atlanta 17, Arizona 14 at halftime

The pace of this game has picked up and Atlanta has taken the lead thanks in part to excellent offensive adjustments in the second quarter. They shifted to a lot of no-huddle to wear the Big Dead defense down. That not only got Ryan and the passing game moving in a better tempo, it loosened up the running game for Turner. Atlanta's poised to pound Turner at Arizona the whole second half and I doubt they can stop him. In addition, the o-line and Jerious Norwood have been terrific on Arizona blitzes. If Arizona can't blitz you, they're in trouble.

The coaching's been less impressive when Arizona has the ball. The Dead were running great but then got away from it, even though the Falcons weren't bringing more men in the box. Stick to what works! And, yes, the Dead have the big pass plays, mainly because Lawyer Milloy has been awful. You could blame him for both TDs. Atlanta's D HAS to stop exposing Milloy like that and cut back on the blitzing; Atlanta wasn't a big blitzing team all year anyway. Stick to what works! You can't blitz Kurt Warner this year anyway.

Atlanta wins if they get decent 2nd-half contributions from Turner and the so-far invisible John Abraham. And if they don't get burned by any more stupid blitzes. If the Cardinals are going to abandon the run, they'd better just sell out completely with a lot of 4- and 5-WR formations and set Kurt up for some more big plays.

WHY IN THE HOLY HELL IS MATT MILLEN PART OF NBC's STUDIO COVERAGE? He's supposed to be any kind of football expert after that stint in Detroit? Absolutely bloody ridiculous.

THIRD QUARTER
Falcons from their 27. Short out to Peelle for 3.
BIG PLAY FOR ARIZONA AS ROLLE SCORES A DEFENSIVE TD. 21-17, BIG DEAD.
Ryan and Turner blow an exchange thanks to a surge from Dockett, the ball pops right into Antrell Rolle's hands and he showboats in for a 27-yard TD.

By the way, Arizona is going to lose this game. You don't showboat like Rolle did on that play, nearly giving Ryan a chance to knock it away from him at the goal line, and get away with it.

Touchback by Norwood.
Game-saving timeout by Arizona, as Turner explodes off left tackle and appears to have had an 80-yard TD for the taking. It'll still be 1st-10 at the 20 instead.
Making a run for game MVP, Dansby trips Turner in the backfield for a loss.
White pinballs off Dansby for an apparent first down, but it comes back for a hold. Ouch.
Ryan's 2nd down pass incomplete under pressure from Berry.
Second half shaping up as a complete disaster for the Falcons. Delay of game pushes them back inside their own 5. 3rd-and-25.
They try a bomb out of the end zone but Ryan and Jenkins don't appear to be on the same page.
Falcons interfere with Breaston's opportunity to field the punt and Arizona will start at the Falcon 38.
Absolutely crucial for the Falcons to hold them to 3 or less here.

Edge cuts back up the middle for 5.
Falcons blitz and Warner just misses Fitzgerald deep down the Atlanta sideline.
Chris Houston gets away with a hold on Fitzgerald on 3rd-and-5, followed by Neil Rackers INEXCUSABLY missing a FG attempt INDOORS, from 51 yards out.

Atlanta has survived the onslaught; let's see if the tide didn't just switch with that Josh Brown-esque momentum-killer of a whiffed FG.

Falcons at their 40. Turner gains maybe 1.
Quick out to White for 5.
Big Dead blitz big on 3rd down and the pass is through White's hands.
Rare three-and-out for this game and a big missed opportunity for the Falcons.
Koenen shanks the punt out of bounds at the Arizona 24.

Edge pounds off left tackle for 2, then cuts back and breaks a tackle for 6.
Nicely-setup screen to Spach lives long and prospers for 5 and a first down.
Edge runs into a blocker again and ends up with nothing.
Warner's suddenly throwing to everybody; 5 to fullback Terrelle Smith on his sideline.
3rd-5. Good rush from Atlanta but Kurt escapes and trucks for 5 and a first down.
Cardinals at their 48. Edge bounces outside, breaks Coy Wire's tackle and gains 10. Should have been 2. Foxworth taken off with an injury.
Tim Hightower up the middle for 3.
Quick hitch to Urban for 5.
Warner hits Edge on the hot route under heavy pressure for about 9 down to the Atlanta 26. Classic play by Kurt.
Hightower breaks a tackle and smashes down to the 20. Cardinals are having a game-finishing drive here.
Draw to Hightower gains maybe 1.
Warner steps up and hits Breaston at the 4. Kurt is leading a magnificent drive.
Warner got bloody flattened by Grady Jackson that last play and I'm surprised he is still alive.
Hightower duplicates Turner's earlier TD to put Arizona ahead 28-17. Good outside block by Spach, logically.

This game may be over.

Kickoff is a touchback again. Notice how the Cardinals have taken Norwood out of the kicking game WITH DEEP KICKS, unlike the Rams last week.
And now the game IS over. Ryan BADLY underthrows White on a fly route up his sideline and it's picked off by DRC. Terrible bloody throw by Ryan, who was under NO PRESSURE AT ALL. Even Bulger doesn't foul up throws that badly.

Edge blasts right for 5. I didn't pick Arizona to win this game, and I doubt anybody was expecting them to run as well as they have. Atlanta HAS to address its defense in the offseason. Every pick on D, guys.
They do stuff Edge on 2nd down, though. 3rd-5.
Warner looks off his primary, scrambles right and throws it away. Good coverage on the left side of the field gains Atlanta a stop they HAD to have.
(Hey) Biermann nearly blocks the punt, which is downed at the 16.

Berry tracks down Turner for no gain, though he could have had him for -4. That's another surprise, the way Arizona's been able to shut down Turner.
Norwood up the middle for 4 leaves Atlanta facing a critical 3rd-and-6.

FOURTH QUARTER
Ryan overthrows a well-covered Jenkins to force a punt. Hoo boy.
Breaston fair-catches the punt at his 44.

James gets 6 off right tackle. Add a face mask on Curtis Lofton, and Arizona's already at the Falcon 35.
Falcons blow up a screen to Arrington for -3.
Atlanta blitzes but the quick screen to Urban gains only a couple.
Looks like a missed blitz adjustment by Breaston, as Warner's throw for him is well short with Atlanta bringing lots of heat again.
Arizona's threatening to let Atlanta back into the game by getting away from the run.

Stick. With. What. Works!

Arizona's going to have terrible field position after the punt, though. It's downed inside the 5 and they were called for a hold.

Falcons at their 3. Referees are VERY slow with the whistle, but Antonio Smith clearly has Ryan in the grasp for a safety; 30-17, Cardinals. Smith manhandled Sam Baker, who is having a lousy game.

Dockett got a richly-justified penalty for "riding the pony" on Smith after the play. The referee should also get a penalty for grabbing so much of Dockett's crotch trying to break up the celebration.

Ewwwwwwwww.

Great free kick by Koenen; 66 yards, and Breaston can only return it to the 15.
Cards start at their 8 after a penalty. Fitzgerald for 7.
Edge plows up the middle for 7 and a first down.
After a false start, Warner teleports one to Spach for 5.
Falcon blitz yields a good stuff of Edge by Biermann. Edge should have been called for a face mask after the play. Big Dead were called for a hold.
2nd-19 at the 13. Hightower draws for 7.
No pressure, but Warner just dumps to Fitzgerald underneath for 7 more.
Douglas returns the punt to the 42. Atlanta has about 8:00 left to make their comeback.

Bomb by Ryan is just past Douglas and incomplete.
4 to Finneran underneath.
Huge blitz by Arizona; Ryan back-foots a pass for Jenkins that is broken up by Hood.
Falcons going for it on 4th-6. Collinsworth was punting here, I guess; says it's too early to go for it. I say they HAVE to go for it.
BIG PLAY as a screen pass to Norwood gains 30 down to the 26.
Cards got caught blitzing on 4th-and-6. WHY ARE YOU BLITZING ON 4th AND 6?
6 to the TE. Falcons back to no-huddle. Great grab by Jenkins for 3. 3rd-1.
Ryan gets 2 on the QB sneak down to the 15.
Cards jump offside; 1st-5 at the 10.
Quick hitch to White for 5; first and goal.
Quick screen to White, who sheds DRC's tackle fairly easily for a 5-yard TD. Arizona 30, Atlanta 24.
Lousy defensive drive by the Cardinals, who blitzed on 4th down and 6, and as Collinsworth pointed out, were laying 10 yards off the receivers on first-and-goal at the 5.

This may not be over yet; 4:15 to go.

Arrington returns the deep kick out to the 20.
Atlanta has all three timeouts.
Warner fires to Fitzgerald for 15. They must really HATE to run if they're not running here.
Pitch to Edge right; he loses 1.
Atlanta timeout at 3:18.
PASSING AGAIN, Warner hits Breaston downfield for 25. Ball at the Atlanta 40. That was a real dagger.
Hightower struggles for 2-3. Atlanta uses timeout #2.
END AROUND TO BREASTON?!?!?!?!? LOSES EIGHT. Big play by Abraham after NBC's feature on how invisible he has been today.
Atlanta uses their final timeout. 2:17 left, 3rd-16 from the Atlanta 46.
GAME IS LOGICALLY OVER AFTER SPACH IS WIDE OPEN OVER THE MIDDLE FOR 22. Keith Brooking another defensive Falcon having a bloody terrible day. Cards can just fall on it now and win out the game.

And for the first time in 46-plus years of ownership, Bill Bidwill has finally won a home playoff game.
It couldn't happen to a less-deserving guy. Bad news for the Cardinals, this sends them to the East Coast next week, the Meadowlands or Carolina. The Giants should drill them, but I'll give them a fighter's chance in Carolina. Kurt Warner has had some terrible cold-weather games in Carolina in the past, though.

As much as I hate to pull the stunt Madden and Michaels always do with the "horse trailer", I don't see how you can separate between the Cardinal tackles, Mike Gandy and Levi Brown, for co-MVP of the game. John Abraham didn't do a damn thing, Warner wasn't sacked and usually had plenty of time to throw, and the Cards controlled the line of scrimmage and were able to bang out yards on the ground, which they haven't been able to do all season.

Matt Ryan was very up-and-down and made some awful plays, but I'm not worried about him; he'll learn from this game. Atlanta's got to be disturbed they couldn't establish Turner on the ground against a team they should have been able to do it to, and in a situation where you HAVE to be able to do it to win. But I'm focusing on defense in the offseason if I'm them. They need a DE who can stay healthy and take pressure off Abraham. They need a big run-stuffer inside, an amazing thing to say for a team that has 400-pounder Grady Jackson. They don't remotely have a shutdown corner, and Milloy is so done at safety I just know we're going to be seeing him in a Rams uniform next season. And their linebackers, much to my surprise, are flatout terrible. They might want to see what they can get for Keith Brooking's reputation in the offseason and draft an MLB if a good one falls that far. They're going to get somebody good on defense in any event.

And continued good luck to Kurt, as I get ready for Colts-Chargers.