AFC Championship Game - Pittsburgh Steelers VS Baltimore Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers are leaving the cold weather of Pittsburgh for warm weather of Tampa Bay. The Steelers used stingy defence to down Baltimore Ravens 23-14 for AFC title. The Steelers advance to the Superbowl to play the upstart NFC Champs Arizona Cardinals.

The Steelers got past the Ravens with hard hitting defense. The hardest hit came from Steelers Safety Ryan Clark when leveled Ravens running back Willis McGahee. Many are calling this the hit of the year. McGahee was carted off the field after taking the frightening hit. McGahee had scored both of the Ravens touchdowns.

Steelers vs Ravens Ryan Clark hit on Willis McGahee


The Steelers harassed rookie QB Joe Flacco all game long. Normally unflappable, he looked lost at times and finished 13-for-30 for 141 yards and three interceptions. While the Pittsburgh Steeler counterpart Ben Roethlisberger was a steady 16-of-33 for 255 yards, and most importantly, no interceptions, showing how much experience can matter in a game so big.

The Final nail in the coffin for the Baltimore Ravens came with 4:39 left in the game when Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu picked off Flacco and returned the 40 yards for the touchdown.

Up until that point the Ravens were making a comeback getting to within 2 points at 16-14 of the Steelers. The gome was 13-0 at one point. But when Polamalu returned a Flacco pass for touchdown the Ravens season was put on ice.

With the victory, the Steelers are headed to thier 7th Superbowl game in franchise history where the will meet the Arizona Cardinals who are playing in their first Superbowl.

Steelers VS Ravens Highlights Courtesy CBS

NFC Championship - Arizona Cardinals VS Philadelphia Eagles

The Arizona Cardinals are headed to the Super Bowl. I repeat the Arizona Cardinals are headed to the Super Bowl. Despite a valliant 2nd half comeback attempt by Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Kurt Warner led Cardinals edged the Eagles 32-25 in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

The stars of the game for the Cardinals were veteran quarterback Kurt Warner and WR Larry Fitzgerald. Warner and Fitzgerald connected for three touchdowns in the first half alone. To give a Cardinals a commanding 24-6 lead at halftime. Fitgerald finished the game with 9 receptions for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Headed in to 3rd quarter Donovan McNabb and the Eagles seemed down and out. But McNabb didn't go out without a fight. When McNabb connected with rookie WR DeShawn Jackson on 62 yard touchdown. The Eagles had comeback from 18 point deficit. To take the lead 25-24 with 10:45 left in the forth quarter. McNabb finshed the game going 28 for 47 with 375 yards passing with three touchdowns but it wasn't enough for the Eagles.

As Kurt Warner led the Cardinals down the field on a 14 play 72 yard drive that killed 7:46 of he clock. The Drive was capped of by an eight yard TD pass to Tim Hightower. The Cardinals the converted the 2 point conversion when Warner connected with Ben Patrick. This gave the Cardinals a 7 point lead with 2:53 seconds left.

This gave the Eagles one last chance to tie the game with last drive. The drive started well McNabb led the Eagles to the Cardinals 47 yard line. But that as far the drive went as the drive stalled with 4 straight incomplete passes giving the Cardinals back the ball with 1:51 left. The Cardinals were able to waste the rest of the clock to hold on to the victory.

The victory sends the upstart Arizona Cardinals to their first Super Bowl game ever and their first NFL championship game in 61 years. Who would of thunk it a few weeks ago. The Arizona Cardinals one win away from being World Champions.

Cardinals VS Eagles Highlights

AFC DIVISIONAL Playoff Recap - Pittsburgh Steelers VS San Diego Chargers

The Pittsburgh Steelers battled the snow the wind the cold and the San Diego Chargers. But in the end the Steelers defeated the San Diego Chargers 35-24 in the Sunday AFC Divisonal Playoff game. The Steelers fans were the only home team fans to go home happy this weekend. Next up for the Pittsburgh Steelers the Baltimore Ravens come to town to play in the AFC Championship.

Big Ben Roethlisberger was solid for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roethlisberger completed 17 passes on 26 attempts. Big Ben also threw a touchdown pass to TE Heath Miller.

But the offensive star of the game for the Steelers was Running Back Willie Parker. Parker broke the century mark in terms of rushing yards for the first time in his playoff career. Willie rushed for 146 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

The key moment in the game was the entire 3rd quarter. The San Diego Chargers had one offensive play the entire 3rd quarter. Leaving the San Diego defense on the field for the entire 3rd quarter minus 17 seconds

This lead to the Steelers wearing down the chargers defence and breaking the game open.

Steelers VS Chargers Highlights

NFC Divisonal Playoff - New York Giants VS Philadelphia Eagles

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Donovan McNabb threw for a touchdown and rushed for another and the Eagles' defense kept the New York Giants out of the end zone, as the defending Super Bowl champions were ousted by rival Philadelphia, 23-11, in a physical NFC Divisional playoff battle.

Windy conditions at the Meadowlands kept both offenses in check, but it was the Philly defense which never broke in a battle of the trenches. Two fourth- down stuffs in the fourth quarter, Asante Samuel's interception of Eli Manning to set up a touchdown, and just 15 first downs allowed has the Eagles one win away from Super Bowl XLIII.

McNabb connected on 22-of-40 passes for 217 yards with two interceptions for the Eagles (11-6-1), while DeSean Jackson compiled 81 yards on four receptions in the victory.
Brian Westbrook, who carried Philadelphia to a 20-14 decision in Week 14 in New York, was bottled up for a mere 36 yards on 18 carries.

David Akers was a key ingredient to the win, hitting all three of his field goals attempts while counterpart John Carney missed two of his five attempts.

Philly's opponent in the NFC Championship Game is a familiar one, as the Eagles' run of four victories in their final five regular season games to barely sneak into the playoffs started with a 48-20 thumping of the Arizona Cardinals in a Thanksgiving nightcap.

The NFC West champions surprisingly man-handled the Carolina Panthers, 33-13, in their playoff battle on Saturday to reach their first ever NFC Championship game, and now Arizona will be the host next Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (et).

The script was flipped on the Giants (12-5), as last year's improbable run saw them upset the top-seeded Cowboys in the Divisional round before victories over Green Bay and previously unbeaten New England in Super Bowl XLII.

This time around Manning couldn't come up with the big play in a sub-par effort, hitting just 13-of-27 passes for 158 yards and two interceptions in New York's early exit from the postseason.
Brandon Jacobs rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries, while the receiving corps desperately missed Plaxico Burress, as Kevin Boss had a team-high 52 receiving yards on three grabs.

The Giants averaged just under 19 points a game in the final four regular season tilts without Burress, who was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list after he accidentally shot himself in the leg at a night club in late November. The Giants went 1-4 without their star wideout.
01/11 16:47:57 ET

hiladelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (5) lunges into the end zone for a touchdown against the New York Giants during the first quarter of an NFL divisional playoff football game on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

NFC Divisonal Recap Arizona Cardinals VS Carolina Panthers

Coming into this weekend games this one looked like a sure thing. There was just no way Carolina was going to lose this game was there...

The Carolina Panthers came into this game with a 12-4 record. While the Arizona Cardinals had a 9-7 record. The Panthers were on of the favorites in the NFC to make it to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals were considered by many experts one of the worst playoff teams ever.

The Panthers went undefeated at home this year in the regular season. The Cardinals were 0-5 this in the eastern time zone this year.

The Panthers had bye last week to rest their players. While the Arizona Cardinals had to play a wildcard game against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Panthers have DeAngelo Williams. Who finished third in the league with 1,515 rushing yards and first with 18 touchdowns (16 in his last nine games). The Cardinals have Edgerrin James who was benched earlier in the season.

The Panthers have Superstar reciever Steve Smith. The Cardinals were without their Pro Bowl reciever Anquan Boldin. Who tested his injured hamstring in the pregame and decided he wasn't able to play.

If there was a sure thing this weekend this was it.

The game started as I expected as the Carolina Panthers kickoff returner Mark Jones returned opening kickoff to the 50 yard. From there, tt only took Jake Delhomme 2:57 to lead his team to a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. This game was going to be a blowout I could feel it.

The Arizona Cardinals responded to Panthers drive. Putting together a 6 play 60 yard scoring drive of their own.

The Panthers proceeded to give the ball back to the Cardinals when Jake Delhomme was sacked and fumbled the ball. It only took 2 plays for Edgerrin James to score for the Cardinals and the underdogs took the lead.

On the Panthers next drive, they put together a 63 yard drive. Only to have Jake Delhomme throw an interception deep in Cardinals territory. This became the most common theme of the game.

Could we be possibly be seeing an upset in the making?

Not only did the Arizona Cardinals pull off the upset. They absolutely dismantled the Carolina Panthers winning 33-13.

Cardinals Kurt Warner threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns. His counterpart Jake Delhomme threw for 205 yards and one meaningless touchdown. More importantly the Panthers QB threw 5 interceptions.

Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith only caught two passes and didn't have reception until the last minute of the third quarter. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald had 8 receptions for 166 yards and touchdown.

The combo of Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower rushed for a combined 133 yards. The Panthers combo of Williams and Jonathan Stewart rushed for a combined 75 yards.

The Arizona Cardinals who many considered the worst playoff team in NFL history are headed to the NFC Championship game. Well at least I got to see the blowout I predicted.

Cardinals VS Panthers Highlights

AFC Divisonal Playoff Recap - Baltimore Ravens VS Tennessee Titans

In a tight defensive struggle The Baltimore Ravens walked into Tennessee and shocked the #1 seed in the AFC. The Ravens came out on top over the Tennessee Titans edging them 13-10 to advance to AFC Championship Game.

The Baltimore Ravens once again proved to be the team no one wants to play against as they stopped Titans offense cold. The Titans were just not being able to score the against Ravens defense. The Titans scored a touchdown in the first quarter and were not able to hit the endzone for the rest of the game.

The story of the game was turnovers. The Titans turned over the ball three times while the Ravens had none.

Turnovers absolutely killed the Titans hopes of Super Bowl glory. The Titans gained more yards (391 to 211) and had more first downs (21 to 9), then the Ravens but were undone by turnovers. The team turned the ball over three times in Ravens territory -- one interception and two fumbles -- Killing three long drives where the Titans were poised to score. Including a fumble by Titans A.J Crumpler as he was reaching for the Ravens goal line in the 4th quarter.

The Titans also lost their star running back Chris Johnson late in the first half with a right ankle injury. Johnson had run for 72 yards on 11 carries including one for the Titans only touchdown in the game. Johnson's replacement LenDale White fumbled the ball on the Ravens 17 yard line, in last minute of the 1st half.

Ravens rookie Joe Flacco became the first freshman quarterback in NFL history to win 2 playoff games. Flacco wasn't spectacular in the Ravens victory. But was able to drive the Ravens offense when needed and more importantly was able to avoid turing the ball over. The most important was a 51 yard drive that set up the winning field goal by Ravens kicker Matt Stover. The Titans had one more chance at the end of the game to comeback but were unable to get into scoring position before they turned the ball over on downs. The Ravens simply survived a windy rainy night in Nashville and move one step closer to sunny Tampa Bay.

Highlights Ravens VS Titans

AFC Wildcard Baltimore Ravens VS Miami Dolphins

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Ed Reed had two of Baltimore's four interceptions, running one back for a touchdown, and the Ravens defense stifled Miami to record a 27-9 win over the Dolphins in an AFC Wild Card contest.

With the victory, Baltimore advances to play the Tennessee Titans next weekend.

The Ravens forced five turnovers and limited Miami to 276 yards, continuing their remarkable turnaround from last season.

Baltimore went 5-11 in 2007, finishing last in the AFC North, but under first-year head coach John Harbaugh, they went 11-5 in the regular season.

"We want to be that kind of a defense," Harbaugh said. "Tenacious, aggressive defense that turns the ball over."

Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 135 yards, completing only 9-of-23 passes, but did not have an interception and ran for a touchdown to help Baltimore win its first playoff contest since 2001 -- when the Ravens also beat Miami in a Wild Card-round matchup.
"Joe played like a veteran in the playoffs," Harbaugh said. "Made some tremendous throws, very poised in the pocket...he played playoff-winning football."

LeRon McClain ran for 75 yards and a score, while Willis McGahee compiled 62 yards on the ground in Baltimore's win.


Miami also came into Sunday's contest having completed a massive turnaround under a first-year coach. After a franchise-worst mark of 1-15 last season, Tony Sparano helped the Dolphins go 11-5 this year, giving the team its first division title since 2000 and its first postseason berth since 2001.

But Chad Pennington threw an uncharacteristic four picks, having been intercepted only seven times all season, while passing for 252 yards and a TD on 25-of-38 completions.

"It's been a special year, and that's why it hurts so much, because you wanted to keep it going," Pennington said. "You wanted to keep it going and see how far you could take it and be a really special story."

Miami was held to just 52 yards rushing, as Ronnie Brown had a team-high 19 yards on the ground, in addition to catching Miami's sole touchdown pass.

With the score tied at 3-3 after one quarter, Miami was driving early in the second and advanced to midfield before Pennington's pass to Ted Ginn, Jr. was intercepted.

The Ravens were forced to punt, and the Dolphins took over deep in their own territory, but managed to advance out to the 19. But facing a 3rd-and-8, Pennington tried to go again to Ginn, deep to the left side. But Ginn fell down on his route as the ball was off the mark, and Reed was there to grab it and run the 64 yards back through traffic for a TD.

The score put Baltimore up 10-3 with 2:30 left in the half, and after Miami needed to punt, the Ravens added a 31-yard field goal from Matt Stover with 16 ticks left to take a 13-3 lead into halftime.

Pennington's interception woes continued shortly into the third quarter, as he was picked off on the third play of the frame. The Dolphins defense held, however, and after a Ravens punt, Miami started a drive at its own two-yard line.

But after driving out to the 18, Patrick Cobbs had the ball poked out by Marques Douglas, and Terrell Suggs recovered at the Miami 19.

McClain ran twice before Flacco found Mark Clayton for six yards. McClain then ran up the middle eight yards into the end zone, hopping on his right leg for the final two steps to keep from going down, and the Ravens pushed their lead to 20-3.

Miami's next drive saw more success, as Pennington completed eight consecutive passes. Among them was a 23-yarder to Brown on the first play of the drive that got the Dolphins near midfield. A series of short passes got Miami to the Baltimore 13, and the eighth of Pennington's throws went for a loss, as the Dolphins faced a 2nd-and-12.

On the next attempt, though, all that momentum was ruined, as Pennington's attempt to Cobbs was intercepted.

But Miami again held the Ravens to a punt, and took advantage of it on the first series of the fourth quarter. The Dolphins, with the help of two pass interference penalties, got to midfield before Pennington dumped off a short pass to the left. Davone Bess was there to make the catch, and he darted 45 yards to the five-yard line. Pennington completed two passes in a row to Brown, the second one going for two yards into the end zone.

The Dolphins only got within 20-9, though, as the extra-point attempt was blocked.

Another Ravens punt set Miami up at its own 32, and once more, the Dolphins got into Baltimore territory. But once more, an error hampered them. On 2nd- and-7 from the Ravens 25, Pennington was swarmed almost immediately on an end- around attempt as he went to hand the ball to Ginn. The transfer went awry, and Ginn punched the ball into the backfield, eventually landing on it at the 44.

Faced with a 3rd-and-26, Pennington's deep pass to Ginn went incomplete, and Miami had to punt with 7 1/2 minutes left in the game.

But any hopes of a Miami comeback took a big hit on the ensuing Ravens drive. Near midfield, McGahee ran through the right side of the line and avoided the first defender, stiff-armed another, and sprinted 48 yards toward the end zone before being tackled at the four-yard line.
Miami's defense held for two plays, and Baltimore might have had to kick a field goal after being put in a 3rd-and-goal, but Flacco went up the middle himself for the five-yard touchdown.

With it, the Ravens led 27-9, and with just 3:53 remaining, they held on for the win from there.

After McClain fumbled on the initial drive of the game, the Dolphins capitalized, as Dan Carpenter booted a 19-yard field goal with a little over eight minutes left in the first. Baltimore's ensuing drive went 11 plays and resulted in a 23-yard field goal from Stover.

Game Notes
Derrick Mason caught four passes for 71 yards -- all in the first half -- for Baltimore...The Dolphins picked up 18 first downs, compared to 16 for the Ravens...Including the regular season, Baltimore has won six of its last seven games...Miami's loss ended a five-game streak it had to end the regular season...Pennington's four interceptions were the highest he had in any game since he was picked off five times in a December 20, 2003 contest against New England.

©2009 The Sports Network. All Rights Reserved.

AFC Wild Card - San Diego Chargers VS Indianapolis Colts Recap

San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Darren Sproles filled in for an injured LaDainian Tomlinson and carried the Chargers to a dramatic overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts, as his 22-yard touchdown scamper in the extra session gave San Diego a 23-17 decision in an entertaining AFC Wild Card matchup.

afp2009-01-03
Sproles scored another rushing touchdown while adding 105 yards on the ground, 45 yards on five catches through the air, and 178 combined return yardage for the Chargers (9-8), who are riding a five-game win streak, including a 52-21 thumping over AFC West rival Denver in a regular season finale that played as a de facto playoff clash.

Tomlinson, who was questionable with a groin injury, logged 25 yards and a touchdown on five carries but did not play in the second half. Philip Rivers had 217 yards passing with an interception on 20-of-36 throws, while Antonio Gates, who was also a game-time decision with an ankle injury, hauled in a team-high eight receptions for 87 yards.

Peyton Manning, who picked up his third MVP award earlier this week, threw for 310 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-42 efficiency, but it wasn't enough as the Colts (12-5) had their nine-game winning streak snapped.

"The Chargers made the plays when it counted," Manning said. "Obviously a disappointing loss."
Reggie Wayne caught four balls for 129 yards and a touchdown, while Anthony Gonzalez finished with six grabs for 97 yards for Indianapolis, which was ousted by the Chargers in the playoffs for the second straight season.

Joseph Addai led an anemic running game with 44 yards and a score on 16 carries, as the Chargers had a 167-64 advantage on the ground.

"Give San Diego a lot of credit. They picked up the intensity and put pressure on us a little bit in the second half," Colts head coach Tony Dungy said.

San Diego will visit the top-ranked Tennessee Titans or AFC North champion Pittsburgh next weekend, depending on the outcome of Sunday's Baltimore/Miami bout.

The game was the second nail-biter the clubs have played this season, as a 51- yard Adam Vinatieri field goal at the final gun was the difference in a 23-20 Colts win when the teams met in Week 12.

This time around, Vinatieri's counterpart Nate Kaeding booted a key field goal, as his 26-yard kick with 31 seconds left in regulation tied it, 17-17.

The Colts didn't muster much offense with what little time was remaining, and the Chargers won the coin toss to take the opening possession of the overtime session.

San Diego took over at its own 25, and Sproles caught a key 13-yard pass on 3rd-and-11 to gain a first down. The Colts shot themselves in the foot with two holding penalties, the last handing the Chargers an extra set of downs at the Indy 35.

A defensive face mask on the very next play moved the ball to the 20, and two plays later Sproles took the ball off the left end and sprinted his way into the end zone for a 22-yard spurt, giving the unlikely AFC West champions the win over the fifth-seeded Colts.

"When I got the handoff, I saw the [defensive] end slant in," the diminutive Sproles recalled. "Once I saw that, I saw the green grass outside and tried to score."

Both clubs punted on their first cracks with the ball, and San Diego went three-and-out before Manning completed six straight passes en route to the game's first points.

The perennial Pro Bowl selection hit Gonzalez on consecutive passes for 36 and 17 yards, the latter setting up the visitors at the two, as Addai capped the 81-yard march with a one-yard plunge with 2:59 to play in the first.

San Diego punter Mike Scifres was pivotal in the Chargers' next two scoring drives, first pinning Indy at the three, which eventually led to good field position for the hosts early in the second quarter.

After taking over at the Indy 44, Tomlinson followed Gates' 30-yard reception with a three-yard TD run to tie the game 4:45 into the second. It proved to be the former MVP's last play from scrimmage.

After Vinatieri put the Colts back out front on a 43-yard field goal 3 1/2 minutes later, Scifres bombed a 67-yard punt to the Indy seven after a San Diego three-and-out. The Colts couldn't move the chains, and the Chargers again took over in enemy territory following a short punt.

Sproles' nine-yard TD run with 42 ticks left before the half finished off the 45-yard trek and gave the Chargers their first lead, 14-10.

Indianapolis' Chad Simpson nearly fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but replay confirmed his knee hit the ground before being stripped and the Colts were fortunate to be down just four at the break.

After the intermission, San Diego's defense forced the Colts to turn the ball over on downs. The Chargers, though, didn't seize momentum and punted the ball back.

On the fifth play of the next drive, Manning made a heads-up play and caught the Chargers in a defensive switch, namely defensive back Antonio Cromartie. His quick snap on 3rd-and-5 left Wayne wide open for a 72-yard touchdown and Indianapolis led 17-14 with 8:10 remaining in the third.

The Chargers then took over at their own 20 and marched down the field with Rivers doing most of the damage with his arm. Sproles, however, was stripped fighting for extra yardage down near the goal line, and the Colts recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

"The guy who typifies our season and what our guys are about is Darren Sproles," Chargers head coach Norv Turner said. "He fumbled the ball...and when that happened, there wasn't any doubt in my mind that he was going to make a big play that was going to affect this game."

Following an Indy three-and-out Rivers threw an interception in the end zone to extinguish a promising drive three minutes into the fourth.

But once again the Colts punted and Scifres dropped a pin-point punt at the Indy goal line with 2:41 to play. A sack on Manning on 3rd-and-2 from the nine yielded a punt, and Sproles' 26-yard return set up San Diego at the Indy 38 with 1:48 remaining.

Gates proceeded to make back-to-back 11-yard grabs, but Sproles was tackled just two yards short of a first down three plays later and Kaeding was called in to tie the game.


Game Notes

The Colts were without linebacker and defensive captain Gary Brackett due to a lingering right leg injury...The Chargers, the first 8-8 division winner since the Cleveland Browns in 1985, are the only NFL team with a record of .500 or worse to host a playoff game...San Diego, which owned a 26-17 edge in first downs, held a 37:09-29:11 advantage in time of possession...Indy's Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis each had two sacks in the loss...San Diego topped the Colts, 28-24, in the AFC Divisional Playoff in Indianapolis last season... Last season's NFC Championship Game was also an overtime battle, with the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants edging the Packers, 23-20.


01/04 01:08:55 ET ©2009 The Sports Network. All Rights Reserved.



Chargers VS Colts Highlights

NFC Wild Card Game Recap - Philadelphia Eagles VS Minnesota Vikings

The Philadelphia Eagles walked into a Hostile environment on January 4 2009 but emerged victorious over the Minnesota Vikings 26-14 in a NFC Wild Card Game.

Tarvaris Jackson of the Minnesota Vikings struggled to keep his team in the game only connecting on 15 of 35 passes with one pick for an unimpressive 45.4 Quaterback rating. Adrian Peterson tried to pick up the slack rushing for two touchdowns on 20 carries but it wasn't enough for the Vikings.

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As, Donovan McNabb led the Eagles past the Vikings by throwing for 300 yards and a touchdown. Eagles kicker David Akers connected on four field goals (43, 51,31,45 yards respectively)

Although it was Philadelphia Eagles defense that may of provided the turning point of the game came when Eagles corner Asante Samuel intercepted a Tarvaris Jackson pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. This insured the Eagles would have the lead for good.

While the Vikings were able stop the run holding Brian Westbrook 32 yards rushing on 20 carries. McNabb was able to connect with Westbrook for 71 yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter devastated the Vikings chance for a comeback.

The final nail in the coffin came with 2:53 left in the fourth quarter when Eagles DE Juqua Parker recovered a bad snap that bounced off the foot of Jackson.

It doesn't get easier for the Eagles as the head to New Jersey to play NFC East rival and defending Super Bowl champions the New York Giants.

Eagles VS Vikings highlights

NFC Wild Card Game Recap - Atlanta Falcons VS Arizona Cardinals

It was 1947, Harry Truman was President. Francis Craig had the most popular song on the charts with"Near You" and the Cardinals franchise won a home playoff game defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 in the NFL Championship Game.

But last Saturday January 3 2009 history was made, as The Cardinals ended a 61 year drought. The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in an NFC wildcard game. To win their first home playoff game in more then six decades.

Kurt Warner led his team past the Atlanta Falcons by throwing for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

The first scoring play was 42 yard flea flicker to Larry Fitzgerald early in the first quarter.

The news wasn't all good for the Cardinals as Anquan Boldin left the game with a hamstring injury shortly after connecting with Warner for 71 yard scoring play in the second quarter.

Young phenom quarterback Matt Ryan, put up a game effort completing 26 passes. Setting a playoff record for rookie pivots.

But the story of the game was the determined Arizona Cardinals defense swarming Matt Ryan and the Falcons throughout the game. They sacked Ryan 3 times (including once for a safety) and picked him off twice. The Cardinals also stuffed the vaunted Falcon running attack. Holding the NFL's second leading rusher Michael Turner to just 42 yards rushing.

Next up for the Arizona Cardinals is a trip to Carolina to face the faceoff with Panthers in a NFC Divisonal Playoff Game

Highlights of the Cardinals VS Falcons