4th And 26 In McCarthy we trust

Mike McCarthy spent all of last week telling everyone how he’d be game-planning as usual, and no one believed him. How could you? It made absolutely no sense to tip his play-calling hand and risk injuries. Turns out there’s a reason McCarthy’s standing on the sideline, while we’re sitting on our couches sucking beers and eating Cheetos. The Packers brought their hardhats and sledgehammers to University of Phoenix Stadium, and laid waste to anything and everything in red. And if you’re not feeling at least a little bit confident going into the playoffs, you haven’t been paying attention.

It’d be foolish to put much weight on the 77 points the Pack hung on the Cards in their two meaningless contests this year. Though the score’s not the point; it’s the fact the Packers were three seconds and one sublime Ben Roethlisberger pass away from finishing the year 8-0. And that does matter. Maybe not to the Cardinals, who’ll be roughly 1,000 times scarier than they were on Sunday. But rather to the NFL’s youngest team who didn’t know how to win for the first eight games of the season. Ted Thompson will probably never let one of his teams fully grow up, but at least McCarthy has this squad to where the training wheels are off, and they can now take the big-boy jumps without a guaranteed wipeout. Plus, McCarthy also has the psychological trump card of being able to point to these two games if the Packers happen to go down a score or two early.

And that’s all good, because on the X’s and O’s front, this is as even a match-up as you’ll find. The two teams’ records are negligible, and both have had moments of sterling dominance and humiliating shittiness. The Cards’ top three receivers are the best in the business; Jarrett Bush will have to cover one of them, and we all know how he can have trouble sticking with his shadow. But the Pack’s wideouts aren’t half bad themselves, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is dinged, and I’m now convinced there’s no one on the planet who can cover Jermichael Finley on a corner fade. And I’m also sure the Cards don’t have anyone to consistently block Clay Matthews. Add it up, and there’s no reason to believe this game will be anything but high-scoring and close.

Even on the cheap-shot side of things, the Cards don’t offer much to make us fans snicker or seethe. For one, they’ve had none of the success that breeds rivalries or contempt: two league championships (’25 and ’47), six division titles in 90 years, one 10-win season in the past 33 years. If you can’t sympathize with that run of extended suckage, you need to find yourself a puppy to kick. In a coaching fraternity populated with human skid-marks like Brad Childress and Eric Mangini, Ken Whisenhunt is classy and likeable. It’s hard to describe Kurt Warner as anything other than a dork, but his stock boy-to-MVP fairy tale is the career trajectory we’re all dreaming about when we toss the rock in the backyard. And their best player, Larry Fitzgerald, is not only awesome, he never dons the asshat that seems to be a uniform requirement of all receivers these days. (Making him even more appealing, he has a steamy bromance budding with Greg Jennings).

Which brings us back to the proverbial edge, and who has it. I’ll admit, after the Tampa game, I had my torch lit and pitchfork sharpened, and was charging off to bang on McCarthy’s door. It was all too easy to wonder if 2007 was a mirage; or even worse, an anomaly that’d be impossible to replicate without having that Favre guy under center. Now though, Mac’s proven himself twice—with this season’s success coming amidst the pressure of his job being on the line. That takes savvy and balls, so I’m inclined to trust him going forward. (Though I will say seeing the future Defensive Player of the Year on the sideline with an ice pack on his shoulder made me dry-heave.)

I’m also taking heart in the fact that at the absolute most important point in the season, the Packers have as much confidence and swagger as anyone. And in a wide open NFC, Packers fans can ask the question of “Why not us?” with a straight face—while at the same time putting the emphasis on the “us” instead of the “not.” It’s the playoffs, and this is undoubtedly McCarthy’s team. And for the first time in almost two years, that appears like it could be a very good thing.

Prediction: When teams are this even, you’d normally give the nod to whoever’s at home. Though if last Sunday was any indication, a ton of the 65,000-plus in attendance will be sporting green and gold. And I’m guessing Aaron Rodgers And Co. would rather be in a dome than freezing their stones off at windy Lambeau Field. That leaves the on-field match-ups. While it’s impossible to imagine us shutting these birds down, Charles Woodson is still superhuman, and someone must have convinced Atari Bigby it’s 2007 because he’s suddenly an INT machine again. Putting pressure on Warner and creating turnovers will be the key. See the note above about Matthews, and bet the farm on Dom Capers. Packers 35, Cardinals 30