The Green Bay Packers took it to the Arizona Cardinals in their 33-7 victory last week, but I wouldn’t expect another blowout for the Packers in their rematch this weekend in the NFC Wild Card game. The Packers stuck with Aaron Rodgers and most of the other starters for the majority of the game last week, while the Cardinals played their reserves for most of the game.  They will be going up against a Kurt Warner led Cardinals’ offense, which can be very explosive at times.  They only average 93 rushing yards per game, so the Cardinals are a pass-heavy offense.  Warner helped the Cardinals make it all the way to the Super Bowl last season, and he is a very good quarterback.  He threw for 3,753 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while completing 66% of his passes.  He has some great receivers, including Larry Fitzgerald, so the Packers’ secondary is going to get challenged a lot.  Warner is old and slow though, so he is not very mobile.  If the Packers can close in on Warner and collapse the pocket, it will make things very difficult for Warner to make plays and it could cause some turnovers.

Aaron Rodgers has proven he is an elite quarterback, now he has to prove it in the playoffs.  Rodgers was sacked 50 times this season though, which is a big cause for concern going into the playoffs.  If the offensive line can hold up, then Rodgers will have a good game. He will need Ryan Grant to give him some support in the running game, which Grant should be able to do against a Cardinals defense that gives up 113 rushing yards per game.  This game will be a lot closer than last week’s game, but I think Rodgers is a great quarterback and will prove it in this game with a win.

PREDICTION:  Green Bay Packers 27, Arizona Cardinals 24