The down was third. The yardage was six. The spot of the football was the 24-yard line. The quarterback with possession was Aaron Rodgers. Dropping back to pass, Rodgers fumbled the ball after being sacked by Arizona Cardinals cornerback Michael Adams. The loose pigskin was then recovered by linebacker Karlos Dansby and returned for the walk-off touchdown in overtime. This was the scenario that framed the conclusion to the epic 2009 Wild Card playoff game between the Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers at the University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2010. The defensive score made the final score 51-45, the highest-scoring postseason contest in NFL history. Six years and six days later, it took sudden death to crown the victor in a matchup between the same two teams in the same venue. History truly does repeat itself.
With each team’s road to the tournament slightly different this season from 2009, the intensity was evenly matched, and perhaps surpassed. The Green Bay Packers were coming off an impressive road outing versus the Washington Redskins after playing a complete game on both sides of the ball. Tonight, their goal was to avenge the shellacking they suffered versus the Arizona Cardinals, who had a first-round bye, late in the regular season. Leading the Cards 13-7 midway through the third quarter, payback definitely appeared eminent. Then the craziness began to kick in. Cardinals receiver Michael Floyd scored a wild touchdown off the tip of a Packer defender to give Arizona a 17-13 lead with 3:44 remaining in the fourth. After scoring another field goal to make it 20-13, Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay took over with 1:55 left. After getting downfield with a big play, the Pack only had five seconds to score. Surveying the end zone, Rodgers heaved a deep pass for Jeff Janis, who came down with the game-tying touchdown as time expired in overtime. Winning the toss to begin the extra period, which was another wild sequence in its own right, Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals went to work. Two plays after catching and running for 75 yards, Fitzgerald caught a shuffle pass from Carson Palmer to clinch the win and a spot in the NFC Championship game. Another Packer-themed performance dramatically turned into a playoff game for the ages.
Here at Last Word On Sports, we’ll be handing out post game awards immediately after each NFL playoff game. In particular, we’ll be naming a game MVP, most surprising performance, an unsung hero and the biggest disappointment. Without further ado, let’s take a look at which players distinguished themselves (both good and bad) with their performance today.
Green Bay Packers vs Arizona Cardinals Post Game Awards
Game MVP: Larry Fitzgerald
Simply put, “Big time players make big time plays.” Seemingly appearing to be a huge disappointment throughout most of the game, the nine-time Pro Bowl wide receiver showed the football world that he is still one of the elite pass catchers in the game down the stretch. With his quarterback struggling to make crisp passes, Fitzgerald made the clutch plays when the Cardinals needed it the most. One of his first highlights of the game was the excellent sideline catch he made. Getting into a rhythm, he continued to pick apart the Packers secondary with huge chunks of yardage. On the first play of overtime, Fitzgerald caught a wide open pass before running three-fourths of the football field to get to the Green Bay goal line. His close-yardage touchdown was the perfect ending to his phenomenal eight-catch, 176-yard performance. This effort only adds to the already-illustrious career of the future Hall of Famer.
Surprise Performance: Jeff Janis
The Green Bay Packers receiver woes have been more than well-documented this season. Starting the 2015 season without Pro Bowler Jordy Nelson was devastating enough. To play the majority of this matchup without Randall Cobb was even a bigger hassle. Veteran James Jones being wiped out by Pro Bowl corner Patrick Peterson made the team’s tasks even more cumbersome. Luckily, the Packers found young gems in Jared Abbrederis and Jeff Janis. Abbrederis made some noise, but Janis took the game by storm. His seven receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns was capped off by a spectacular Hail Mary grab at the end of quarter four (something similar to the team’s triumph over division rival Detroit Lions a few weeks before). If he doesn’t have this breakout game, Green Bay’s offense would’ve been in shambles.
Unsung Hero: Michael Floyd
Unlike the Packers, Arizona had their receiving corps intact. John Brown had a solid game (five catches for 82 yards) while Fitzgerald was being Fitzgerald, but Michael Floyd definitely played his part. Although he only caught three passes for 26 yards, two of them went for scores. Scoring the game’s first touchdown, Floyd was in the right place at the right time when he hauled in the go-ahead score off a defender’s deflection. As crazy as it sounds, his second score will remain second fiddle to the subsequent madness that occurred.
Biggest Disappointment: James Jones
As I previously mentioned, James Jones was shut down by Patrick Peterson. During a very long evening, he was held to zero receptions on two targets. It’s understandable to have a difficult showing against a star cornerback, but Jones simply should’ve been a much larger factor than he was. With a young and struggling receiving bunch on the field, the veteran needed to step up, and he didn’t.
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