Cards come up aces, top Falcons in playoffs

The last play on their final day of practice every week is as simple as it is uplifting.

Kurt Warner takes the snap from center Lyle Sendlein and kneels on the ball.

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So the Cardinals were well-practiced when Warner did just that Saturday afternoon, capping the biggest home win in the franchise’s 21 seasons in Arizona.

Warner’s kneel-down to close the Cardinals’ 30-24 playoff win over the Atlanta Falcons set off a prolonged celebration by fans whose raucous support seemed to hold the Falcons in check as much as the Cardinals did.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt thanked the crowd by taking a memorable victory lap around the field, shaking hands with front-row fans along the way.

“Who knows if we’ll get another game at home?” Whisenhunt said. “The chances … are slim.

“The atmosphere at the start of the game was as good as any I’ve ever been in.”

“It was electric,” defensive end/linebacker Bertrand Berry said of the atmosphere.

“That’s what we needed. The fans did their part.

“We needed every single fan in there screaming. The crowd definitely was the difference for us on the defensive side. … It definitely disrupted their rhythm.”

On the field, the Cardinals may have crossed up the Falcons a bit with an attack far more balanced than has usually been the case.

Even though their running game has been close to nonexistent at times this season, the Cardinals could read the stat sheet that said the Falcons had given up 4.9 yards a carry this season (one of the league’s worst in that category).

Veteran Edgerrin James, probably playing his last home game for the Cardinals, charged right at the Falcons, gaining 73 yards on 16 carries.

James sounded elated for safety Adrian Wilson, who had played eight seasons for the Cardinals without seeing the playoffs.

“Eight years and no playoffs? For me, that’s kind of unheard of.

“All week I was talking to the guys, telling them about my first playoff game. It’s something you’re going to remember forever.

“For Adrian Wilson, something like this is big time.”

Wilson agreed.

“For me, it’s great,” he said. It’s probably a little too big right now. Later, I’ll probably reflect back and take in the emotions of the game. It’s just an emotional experience.”

The Cardinals looked a bit shaky at the start, going three-and-out on the first possession. But an interception by cornerback Ralph Brown got them the ball right back. The Cardinals ran a flea-flicker, with James getting the handoff, then flipping the ball back to Warner, who hit Larry Fitzgerald for a 42-yard touchdown pass.  The rest of the first quarter turned into a defensive struggle.

The Falcons put together a 14-play drive that led to a 30-yard field goal by Jason Elam. The Cardinals more than answered, though, with a 71-yard pass play to Anquan Boldin, who streaked down the left sideline and avoided an attempted tackle by Lawyer Milloy.

The Falcons then started to take over. They drove 77 yards on 14 plays, with Michael Turner sweeping left for a 7-yard score.

The Cardinals then made a potential killer mistake when receiver Jerheme Urban let a pass, thrown slightly behind him, bounce off his shoulder. The Falcons’ Chevis Jackson intercepted it, and Atlanta drove 23 yards to take a 17-14 lead just before halftime.

The game turned for good on the second play of the second half. That’s when a botched handoff from quarterback Matt Ryan to Michael Turner, disrupted by Darnell Dockett, popped up in the air. Safety Antrel Rolle caught it and ran 27 yards for a touchdown. The Cardinals then put a stamp of supremacy on the game when they drove 76 yards in 14 plays, capped by a 4-yard scoring run by Tim Hightower to make it 28-17.  

Early in the fourth quarter, Antonio Smith sacked Ryan in the end zone for a safety. The Cardinals held off the Falcons until Ryan’s 5-yard touchdown to Roddy White made it 30-24 with 4:15 left.

Warner outplayed his counterpart, who was named Rookie of the Year last week. Ryan’s numbers: 26-for-40 for 199 yards, with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 72.8.

Warner’s numbers: 19-for-32 for 271 yards, with two touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 94.7.

“He’s been doing that all year,” Falcons defensive end John Abraham said of Warner. “He’s been hit a lot, but he gets the ball out. I know I hit him one time and thought I had him wrapped up, but he threw the ball where nobody was at.”

Probably even more important, the Cardinals held the Falcons’ high-powered running attack to just 60 yards.

“We have played like this at times,” Whisenhunt said of his defense. “We just haven’t been consistent.”

Perhaps the biggest pass by Warner came on his final throw, as the clock wound down inside of two minutes left. He converted a third-and-16 near midfield with a 23-yard pass over the middle to tight end Stephen Spach that prevented the Falcons from getting the ball back.

Though they won’t have their ear-splitting support behind them, the Cardinals will need another game like this one next weekend, when they’ll play on the road against either the Carolina Panthers or the New York Giants.