It was all set up.

One of, if not the, greatest non-Super Bowl playoff wins for the Green Bay Packers was about to happen.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a snap of the finger, there was the mob of red jerseys celebrating in the endzone.

Huh? What? How?

Once again, we found out sea changes happen just [...]]]> It was all there.

It was all set up.

One of, if not the, greatest non-Super Bowl playoff wins for the Green Bay Packers was about to happen.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a snap of the finger, there was the mob of red jerseys celebrating in the endzone.

Huh? What? How?

Once again, we found out sea changes happen just that quickly in the postseason. Once again, one happened Sunday.

And once again Green Bay was on the losing end.

Karlos Dansby’s 17-yard touchdown in overtime, off an Aaron Rodgers fumble, gave the Arizona Cardinals a 51-45 win, ending the Packers’ season. Green Bay finishes with an 11-6 record.

It had been an epic display of grit from the youthful Packers up until that point. Trailing 31-10 early in the second half -  and having trailed 17-0 earlier in the game – Green Bay powered back. The offense became unstoppable, scoring 35 points in the final two quarters (21 in the fourth alone).

Then, when it seemed like it just wouldn’t be enough, Neil Rackers whiffed on a 34-yard field goal with 14 seconds left.

Well, sure, that was great. But you knew they wouldn’t win the coin toss. Then, though, they did. They did win the coin toss! Tails never fails!!

Green Bay was a lock to go down the field and put the winning points on the board. Arizona’s defense hadn’t stopped the Packers in hours. And this time, we didn’t have a turnover-prone quarterback.

But there was the back-breaking turnover. The jerseys change but the results are the same, apparently.

As brilliant as Rodgers was for much of the game (28-of-42, a team-record 422 yards, four touchdowns, one interception), the two mistakes he made came at perhaps the two worst times to make them. His foolish interception, on the first play from scrimmage, led to a 7-0 Cardinals lead. That got the crowd fully into the game and gave a shot of life to Arizona, as a team. And as much as you might want to blame the offensive line for the sack that led to Rodgers’ fumble in overtime, the fault really lies with the young signal-caller.

He held on to the ball far too long – again – and when he was hit, he failed to hang on – again. Rodgers truly has the skills to become an elite quarterback in the league. Honestly, I think he’s pretty close right now. But he still waits for plays to develop longer than allowed at times and he needs to develop better ball security when he gets hit. At this point, those are about the only two things holding him back and it’s a damn shame they both came to light on the game-ending play.

(Please note: If you are a parent, spouse, family member or friend of anyone involved with the Packers’ defense, you should probably stop reading…now)

Of course, Rodgers and Co. were the only thing keeping Green Bay in the game. The defense wasn’t doing a damn thing, that’s for sure.

Where was the group of hard-charging, quarterback-bashing, turnover-forcing animals we’d gotten so used to seeing as the season progressed? Did they even get on the plane?

The performance of Green Bay’s defense was an out-and-out joke. They generated zero pressure on Kurt Warner, couldn’t cover the middle of the field and forced a putrid five third downs (oh yeah, Arizona converted three of them). They couldn’t tackle and, at times, looked like they weren’t even trying to tackle, instead going for ball strips on countless plays. The ball strip approach, by the way, worked exactly once – on Charles Woodson’s strip of Larry Fitzgerald in the second quarter. But yet they kept at it. Not really sure why.

As bad as all that was, the worst aspect of the atrocious performance was that the league’s second-ranked run defense was shredded to the tune of 156 yards. No pressure in the run gaps and no containment of any kind. A unit that shut down Ray Rice, Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson (twice!) couldn’t stop “Beanie” Wells and Tim Hightower? Are you KIDDING me?

Warner, even without the injured Anquan Boldin, was brilliant, no question (29-of-33, 379 yards, five touchdowns, no inteceptions). If there’s any doubt he’s a Hall-of-Famer, it died Sunday. And the receivers/backs found the open spaces and ran tough. Tip your hat to them for that. But Green Bay’s paper tiger defense made it a whole hell of a lot easier for them, time and time again.

We’re left with no other option than to think that there are some major weaknesses on this defense, weaknesses that must be addressed in the offseason.

As mighty as the offense was, there are holes on that unit, as well. Daryn Colledge, for example.

We will discuss how the Packers should address these deficencies in the days and weeks ahead. For now, though, none of that matters.

All that matters is that a brilliant, but ultimately wasted, comeback means we have to chalk up another playoff heartbreaker on our collective resume. Owens’ catch in ‘99. Losing at Lambeau for the first time in ‘03. Fourth-and-26 in ‘04. Favre’s OT interception in ‘08.

And now, losing the highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history.

What a long, cold offseason it looks to be.

-Chris Lempesis

This will be a three-part series in which we at OBOD examine all three phases of the Cardinals – and, maybe, shed some light on how the Green [...]]]> Since this is, oh, I don’t know, playoff week and all (65 hours and counting until kickoff!), we figured we’d take a closer look at the Arizona Cardinals.

This will be a three-part series in which we at OBOD examine all three phases of the Cardinals – and, maybe, shed some light on how the Green Bay Packers could attack those phases come Sunday.

And since the Cardinals are known for their explosive offense, that seems like a good place to start:

Quarterback

At the age of 38, Kurt Warner is still getting it done. This season, he completed just over 66 percent of his passes for 3,753 yards, 26 touchdowns and just 14 picks. He had some lingering health issues after suffering a blow to the head awhile back, but will be 100 percent for Sunday. Warner is not the most mobile of quarterbacks, instead surviving on his grit, knowledge of the game and extremely quick release (one of the quickest of the past 15 years or so, in my mind). At times throughout his career, Warner has been a turnover machine, particularly when facing heat. Pressuring Warner is perhaps the biggest key to victory for Green Bay on Sunday as it would allow the turnover-heavy Packers’ defense to do its thing.

Running Back

Much has been written about the fact that the running game is not a huge part of the Cardinals’ offense. This is true – Arizona finished 28th in rushing yards per game (93.4 per) - but like all teams, it’s played a huge part in Arizona’s successes. The Cards did not top 100 yards on the ground in any of their six losses - but they did in seven of their 10 wins.

The Cardinals employ a two-back system featuring rookie Chris “Beanie” Wells (176 carries, 793 yards, 4.5 yards per attempt, seven touchdowns) and Tim Hightower (143 carries, 598 yards, 4.2 yards per attempt, eight touchdowns).

While the quick, shifty Hightower is not a bad back, Wells clearly has more upside as he is both explosive and punishing. Arizona favored Wells more down the stretch – 13.6 carries per for “Beanie” over the last five games of the regular season as opposed to just six per for Hightower – and it’s likely to be that way Sunday. The Packers must get numerous defenders around Wells to keep him from breaking tackles and using his explosiveness at the second level.

Wide receiver/tight end

Clearly the gem area of the Cardinals’ offense. If Larry Fitzgerald (97 catches, 1,092 yards, 13 touchdowns) isn’t the game’s best receiver, he’s no worse than second (behind Houston’s Andre Johnson). Fitzgerald can do it all; he’s fast, has great hands and can outjump just about anyone. More over, Fitzgerald has been around long enough now to develop a veteran’s sense of the game. Those All-Pro instincts compliment a tireless work ethic. It’s a good thing Green Bay has Charles Woodson because Fitzgerald can embarass even the best of corners. Woodson will have to play his best game of the year Sunday as we all remember the now-legendary postseason Fitzgerald had last year.

Anquan Boldin’s knee/ankle injury could keep him out of the game Sunday. Gimpy or not, if Boldin (84 catches, 1,024 yards, four touchdowns) plays, he is nearly as lethal as Fitzgerald. Boldin’s strengths are more run-after-the-catch based than Fitzgerald’s as he is fully capable of taking a seven-yard curl route 80 yards to the house. Being physical with him is a dangerous, yet necessary, game for Tramon Williams on Sunday.

On most teams, the quick Steve Breaston (55 catches, 712 yards, three touchdowns) is a No. 2 receiver, which shows Arizona’s true depth. Our pal Jarrett Bush likely draws Breaston as his assignment Sunday and you have to think the Cards will target him numerous times.

Early Doucet (17 catches, 214 yards, one touchdown) and Jeheme Urban (18 catches, 186 yards, no touchdowns) round out Arizona’s receiving corps and provide decent depth at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots.

Ben Patrick is Arizona’s top pass-catching tight end, although he does not provide much of a threat (12 catches, 146 yards, two touchdowns).

Offensive line

Overall, the unit is solid. They finished tied for sixth in least sacks allowed with just 26. 

The right side of the line is particularly strong with the massive pair of right guard Deuce Lutui (6-feet, 4-inches, 338 pounds) and right tackle Levi Brown (6-feet, 5-inches, 324 pounds).

Center Lyle Sendlein (6-feet, 3-inches, 305 pounds) and left guard Reggie Wells (6-feet, 4-inches, 312 pounds) have both started every game this season and, for the most part, are solid.

If there’s one spot the Packers figure to attack, it’s at left tackle. Veteran Jeremy Bridges (6-feet, 4-inches, 326 pounds), listed as a guard, is filling the void at the position left by another veteran, Mike Gandy. After starting 11 of the first 12 games, Gandy went on injured reserve Dec. 23 as a result of a sports hernia. Bridges doesn’t have a ton of experience at the spot. As such, he could be a player to target Sunday.

-Chris Lempesis