The key to Saturday’s NFC Playoff game is the Arizona Cardinals offense.  The key to the Arizona Cardinals offense is Kurt Warner.

Cardinals Game Plan: Score. Score. Score. The Cardinals will look to continue their scoring ways from last week as they lean on their ageless leader, Warner.  If the Cardinals can score it will put the pressure on the Saints to be perfect on the offensive side of the ball.  The Saints haven’t played a meaningful game in the last four weeks and the once best-offense-in-the-league could be a little rusty.

How the Saints Stop Warner: Normal football convention would say that you must put pressure on the quarterback to throw him off his rhythm and force him into costly mistakes.  Every team that tries that against Warner gets burned – see Green Bay Packers off-season vacation plans.  Warner, from his arena football days in Iowa, developed the ability to react against the blitz at a super-human clip.  Warner is Superman.

Saints will not blitz, blitz, blitz but will sit back in zones and make Warner read the coverage and deliver accurately on each of his passes, methodically moving the Cardinals down the field.  The Saints will not be out of position and won’t give up the home run plays that seemed to be a every minute happening last week.  This will keep the momentum wearing Saints colors and the ruckus crowd loud and involved.

SIDENOTE TO THE FOOTBALL EXPERTS: Warner was a Hall of Famer before last week’s game, so please don’t say that he “solidified his place in the Hall” with the one win over the Packers.  Seriously.

Saints Game Plan: Control the ball.  Don’t make mistakes.  And feed off the crowd.  The Saints brought back fan favorite Deuce McCallister to do just that.  Veteran. Fan favorite. And moves the chains when he gets his carries.

The Saints’ defense, led by Will Smith, can put the pressure on Warner without the aid of the blitz and force him into turnovers.  Cardinals lose when Warner has 2 or more interceptions.  The turnovers will lead to “short fields” for Drew Brees and the Saints offense, which spells trouble for the always-criticized Cardinal defense.

The three-game slump is over for the Saints as they return to the form they showed in the beginning of the year when everyone penciled them into the Super Bowl game.  This week’s dismal performance by the Cardinals will make last week’s game a distant memory of the “good old days.”

My Pick:  New Orleans 42 — Arizona 17

Related posts:

1. ⊚  NFC Wildcard Preview: Green Bay v. Arizona Cardinals
2. ⊚  AFC Playoff Preview: Indianapolis Cotls vs. Baltimore Ravens
3. ⊚  Wild Card Weekend: Jets-Bengals Preview
4. ⊚  The Sports Union’s NFL Divisional Playoff Predictions
5. ⊚  NFL Preview Week 7 – NFC West