subject: Arizona Cardinals Vs New Orleans Saints Live Streaming NFL Week 19 Playoff Football on January 16 [print this page] Arizona Cardinals Vs New Orleans Saints Arizona Cardinals Vs New Orleans Saints
Time: 4:30 PM (ET)
Date: Saturday, January 16, 2010.
Location: Superdome.
TV: FOX
Your Today's expense would be $0.04 for this Live coverage.
This has all the makings of another spectacular offensive display, with two of the game's most dynamic offenses and skilled quarterbacks going head-to-head. The Saints led the NFL in scoring at 31.9 points per game, and the Cardinals just won a 51-45 overtime shootout against Green Bay in the wild-card round.
Obviously, both teams plan on playing some defense Saturday afternoon, but there should be plenty of touchdowns. Saints QB Drew Brees finished second in the NFL's MVP voting, setting a league-record for completion percentage (70.62) while throwing for 4,388 yards, 34 touchdowns and a league-high passer rating of 109.6. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner was a little more Clark Kent in the regular season, but as usual he turned into Superman when the playoffs began, throwing more TD passes last week (five) than he did incomplete passes (four).
Everyone's curious to see how the Saints look after a lengthy hiatusincluding the Saints. After a spectacular 13-0 start, New Orleans hasn't won a game in more than a month now. The Saints sustained their first loss against the now-scorching Cowboys at the Superdome in Week 15, then followed that up with a hangover loss at home against lowly Tampa Bay. And Saints coach Sean Payton mostly rested his starters in Week 17 at Carolina, favoring health and rest over momentum. We'll find out which is more important.
The Saints should, indeed, be a more healthy and complete team than they've been since midseason. Most important, starting cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter will be back at full speed. The Saints' defense was much better with Greer and Porter in the lineup the first two months.
Once again, most NFL observers were sleeping on the Cardinals after a sluggish regular-season finish. And once again, they saved their best for the playoffs. Arizona was flawless on offense last week, even without injured receiver Anquan Boldin. Warner and Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are a deadly combination, and several players add help around them, including rookie running back Beanie Wells, who has given the Cardinals a decent rushing attack.
The Cardinals' defense is obviously shaky. They don't apply enough pressure, and they aren't deep in the secondary behind their top three playmakers. They were opportunistic last week, forcing two early turnovers to set the tone against Green Bay and then winning the game on a sack/fumble that was returned for a touchdown in overtime.
The Bottom Line
Neither team can afford to start slow or be sloppy with the football in this game, because the other offense will pounce quickly. The Saints need to prove they can flip the switch back on after their December struggles, but they've been at their best in high-profile games, most recently their Monday night rout over New England in Week 12. Arizona was obviously able to flip that switch on last week, just like they did on the way to the Super Bowl a year ago. But the Cardinals seem to have a slimmer margin for error now, with more question marks across the board, especially if Boldin is out or limited. ... Both teams are hoping it won't come down to the kickers, but it just might.
