The divisional round of the 2010 NFL playoffs will feature two NFC games with four of the top quarterbacks in the NFL; Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Brett Favre and Kurt Warner.
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have spent the last two weeks preparing for their first home playoff game of 2010 while the Cardinals are coming off one of the most explosive games in recent NFL playoff history.
Cardinals’ fans may be thrilled by Kurt Warner’s performance in which he completed 87.9% of his passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns, but Arizona needs to worry about a defense that allowed close to 500 yards.
One bright spot about Arizona’s defense – aside from scoring the winning touchdown – has to be the pressure they applied to the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers. The Cardinals were able to sack him five times and kept constant pressure on him.
The Cardinals will need running back Beanie Wells to step up against New Orleans. Last week, Wells was able to rack up 91 yards on 14 carries and was able to average 6.5 yards per carry. He will be looking to build upon that against the Saints who give up 112 yards per game on the ground.
New Orleans limped into the playoffs with a three-game losing streak after starting out as one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl. Thanks to the time off, key players like tight end Jeremy Shockey and running back Pierre Thomas are healthy and will be back in the lineup.
While the Saints have shown they can win games a variety of ways, their playoff success will be dependent upon quarterback Drew Brees, who had his ups and downs towards the second half of the season.
During the regular season Brees completed a career record 70.6% of his passes for 4,388 yards, 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His top receiver, Marques Colsten, caught 70 passes for 1,074 yards and nine touchdowns this season. The Cardinals secondary will have their hands full with this combination on Saturday.
The addition of safety Darren Sharper had a huge impact on the New Orleans defense this year, especially evident early in the season when he scored two defensive touchdowns. Sharper has the ability to make the big play and will be ready to help out the cornerbacks when the Cardinals come across the middle.
The Saints will benefit if Cardinals’ wide receiver Anquan Boldin is unable to play this weekend. While Larry Fitzgerald gains more publicity, Boldin is just as explosive and can be just as dominant. This will put the pressure on the Cardinals Steve Breaston and Early Doucet to step up again this week.
The Cardinals’ energy will be drained from last weekend and will find the Saints primed and ready to go. Both teams will put points on the board and will end with the Saints earning a close win and moving one step closer to the Super Bowl.
Prediction New Orleans 31 Arizona 28
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
The Cowboys are on fire after winning their last four games, where their defense has allowed a total of 31 points. Can Dallas continue to find success against an explosive Vikings offense that averaged 29.4 points per game during the regular season?
One factor for the Cowboys recent success has been the ability to protect the ball and force turnovers. During their winning streak, Dallas has a plus six turnover ratio. Conversely, in the Cowboys’ five losses this season, they had a minus seven turnover ratio. Dallas must continue to protect the football because the Vikings defense created 24 turnovers during the season.
The Cowboys running game has continued to improve and has played an important part in their recent success. During their last four games, they have gained 630 yards on the ground and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Dallas will need to gain yards on the ground against a stout Vikings defense that has allowed only 87.2 yards per game.
Quarterback Tony Romo has been playing like a man possessed during their last five games, completing 68.6% of his passes while throwing nine touchdowns and only two interceptions.
Minnesota’s key to winning will depend upon their ability to protect Favre against an improving Dallas pass rush.
During the last three games, Favre was sacked him nine times. The Vikings offensive line will need to keep DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer out of the backfield.
If this happens, Minnesota will be able to use their passing game to expose the Cowboys weak secondary. During the season, Dallas allowed 225 passing yards per game and allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 60.1% of their passes.
Minnesota will increase their chances of winning if running back Adrian Peterson is able to improve upon his 3.9 yards per carry during the last month of the season. It’s equally important for Peterson to hold onto the ball. During the season, Peterson led the NFL with 6 lost fumbles.
The Cowboys defense will be instrumental in disrupting Favre’s timing and will help create big turnovers for their offense. This will give the edge to the Cowboys who will advance to the NFC championship.
Prediction Dallas 27 Minnesota 20
