NFC Wild Card: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals (University of Phoenix Stadium), the bracket opens here. Kickoff time: 4:30pm. Winner advances to the divisional round. Loser starts the offseason early.
Wild card weekend is the most chaotic football the calendar produces. Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium is the kind of game that decides whether a season was a long buildup or a quick exit. These are the games where the second-tier playoff teams have to prove they belong. Most don't. The few who do define the rest of January.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in University of Phoenix Stadium shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Green Bay Packers versus Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Wild Card. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Green Bay Packers-Arizona Cardinals cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 9-7 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 7-9 | L3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9-7 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | W4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 14-2 | L2 |
| Houston Texans | 9-7 | W4 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-8 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 7-9 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 13-3 | W11 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | L4 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-11 | L2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 10-6 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8-8 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5-11 | L4 |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-15 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 11-5 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11-5 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | L2 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 12-4 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-14 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 13-3 | L3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-7 | W3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 8-8 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-13 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 21 | 010244545 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 17 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 1724384551 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Tim Hightower 1 yard rush ( Neil Rackers kick) | 0-7 |
| Cardinals | Early Doucet 15 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 0-14 |
| Cardinals | Neil Rackers 23 yard field goal | 0-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Aaron Rodgers 1 yard rush ( Mason Crosby kick) | 7-17 |
| Cardinals | Early Doucet 15 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 7-24 |
| Packers | Mason Crosby 20 yard field goal | 10-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 33 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 10-31 |
| Packers | Greg Jennings 6 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers ( Mason Crosby kick) | 17-31 |
| Packers | Jordy Nelson 11 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers ( Mason Crosby kick) | 24-31 |
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 11 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 24-38 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | James Jones 30 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers ( Mason Crosby kick) | 31-38 |
| Packers | John Kuhn 1 yard rush ( Mason Crosby kick) | 38-38 |
| Cardinals | Steve Breaston 17 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 38-45 |
| Packers | Spencer Havner 11 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers ( Mason Crosby kick) | 45-45 |
| OT | ||
| Cardinals | Karlos Dansby 17 yard defensive fumble return | 45-51 |
| Packers | Cardinals | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 32 | 30 |
| Total Yards | 493 | 531 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 28/42 | 29/33 |
| Pass yards | 423 | 379 |
| Pass TD | 4 | 5 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 5 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 19 | 4 |
| Net pass yards | 404 | 375 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 20 | 23 |
| Rush yards | 89 | 156 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties | 8 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 76 | 56 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | |||||
| Aaron Rodgers | 28/42 | 423 | 4 | 1 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Kurt Warner | 29/33 | 379 | 5 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | ||||
| Ryan Grant | 11 | 64 | 0 | 20 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 3 | 13 | 1 | 13 |
| Brandon Jackson | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Ahman Green | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| John Kuhn | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ARI | ||||
| Beanie Wells | 14 | 91 | 0 | 42 |
| Steve Breaston | 1 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Tim Hightower | 7 | 19 | 1 | 9 |
| LaRod Stephens-Howling | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | ||||
| Jermichael Finley | 6 | 159 | 0 | 44 |
| Greg Jennings | 8 | 130 | 1 | 35 |
| James Jones | 3 | 50 | 1 | 30 |
| Donald Driver | 4 | 43 | 0 | 28 |
| Ryan Grant | 2 | 18 | 0 | 9 |
| Spencer Havner | 2 | 16 | 1 | 11 |
| Jordy Nelson | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Brandon Jackson | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| John Kuhn | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
| ARI | ||||
| Steve Breaston | 7 | 125 | 1 | 26 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 6 | 82 | 2 | 33 |
| Early Doucet | 6 | 77 | 2 | 16 |
| Ben Patrick | 3 | 42 | 0 | 22 |
| Tim Hightower | 3 | 21 | 0 | 9 |
| LaRod Stephens-Howling | 3 | 19 | 0 | 12 |
| Jerheme Urban | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
Arizona Cardinals defeated Green Bay Packers 51-45 at University of Phoenix Stadium in the NFC Wild Card. The final scoring play was Cardinals: Karlos Dansby 17 yard defensive fumble return. Top line of the day: Aaron Rodgers: 423 pass yards on 28-of-42, 4 TD, 1 INT. Arizona Cardinals advance to the divisional round.
Arizona Cardinals walked out of University of Phoenix Stadium as the team that survived an NFC Wild Card Green Bay Packers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 51-45. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Cardinals: Karlos Dansby 17 yard defensive fumble return. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Arizona Cardinals advance to the divisional round.
Arizona Cardinals 51, Green Bay Packers 45. Round: NFC Wild Card. Attendance: 61926. Q1: 3 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 4 scoring plays. Q4: 4 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Aaron Rodgers: 423 pass yards on 28-of-42, 4 TD, 1 INT - Beanie Wells: 91 rush yards on 14 carries - Jermichael Finley: 6 catches for 159 yards
NFC Wild Card, played at University of Phoenix Stadium. Final: Green Bay Packers 45, Arizona Cardinals 51, with Arizona Cardinals taking the result by 6. **First quarter**
- Cardinals: Tim Hightower 1 yard rush ( Neil Rackers kick) - Cardinals: Early Doucet 15 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) - Cardinals: Neil Rackers 23 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Packers: Aaron Rodgers 1 yard rush ( Mason Crosby kick) - Cardinals: Early Doucet 15 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) - Packers: Mason Crosby 20 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald 33 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) - Packers: Greg Jennings 6 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers ( Mason Crosby kick) - Packers: Jordy Nelson 11 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers ( Mason Crosby kick) - Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald 11 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Packers: James Jones 30 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers ( Mason Crosby kick) - Packers: John Kuhn 1 yard rush ( Mason Crosby kick) - Cardinals: Steve Breaston 17 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) - Packers: Spencer Havner 11 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers ( Mason Crosby kick)
**Overtime**
- Cardinals: Karlos Dansby 17 yard defensive fumble return
**Top performers**
- Aaron Rodgers: 423 pass yards on 28-of-42, 4 TD, 1 INT - Beanie Wells: 91 rush yards on 14 carries - Jermichael Finley: 6 catches for 159 yards