The Cardinals shocked everyone by crushing the Panthers 33-13 in Carolina. The Cardinal defense stepped up and had 6 takeaways. Jake Delhomme was awful throwing 5 picks to a slightly above average secondary. All the pundits thought Arizona didn't have a chance and it seems the Cardinals used that as very effective bulletin board material.
The interesting aspect of the NFC playoffs is today's game Eagles v. Giants. If the Giants win, Arizona has to come East for the second week in a row and play in the unpredictable winds in the Meadowlands. The Giants would be the clear favorite. However, if the Eagles win, Arizona gets a home game against an Eagle team that will probably be beaten up considering the physical play expected in today's 1 pm game. Needless to say, the entire state of Arizona has just become members of the D. McNabb fanclub. Expect a tough game, but the G-men are rested and playing at home. New York 20 Philly 13.