The Arizona Cardinals beat the Green Bay Packers in an exciting overtime affair that ended with Larry Fitzgerald taking a short shuffle-pass in for the winning points, 26-20. The Cardinals were the second team to punch their ticket to conference title games next week, as the New England Patriots snapped the Kansas City Chiefs' 11-game winning streak on Saturday, 27-20.
The Packers were short-handed on offense after losing wide receiver Randall Cobb, as he was declared out with a chest injury. Cobb reportedly suffered a bruised lung, but wide receiver Jeff Janis stepped up in his absence with seven receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Janis saved the Packers' season twice on Saturday, as he caught a 60-yard pass on a fourth down play from the Packers own endzone, and grabbed the 41-yard Hail Mary pass that sent the game to overtime.
The Cardinals got the ball to start overtime, and opened with a short pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald who took it 75 yards down to the Packers five-yard line. The Cardinals then closed the game with a short shuffle pass to their veteran wide receiver, earning quarterback Carson Palmer his first playoff victory. Arizona now awaits the winner of Seattle against Carolina on Sunday, and head coach Bruce Arians will look to lead the Cardinals back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2008.
New England has been no stranger to success in January, and has now made it to the AFC Championship game five-straight seasons. Head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have made it to 10 conference title games together, and are looking to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. The Patriots franchise quarterback threw over 300 yards with two touchdowns passes in the win over the Chiefs. New England will now await the winner of the Steelers-Broncos matchup on Sunday.
The Patriots offense looked the healthiest it has in weeks with both tight end Rob Gronkowksi and wide receiver Julian Edelman making a major impact on Saturday. Both New England and Arizona will have to wait to see what happens on Sunday to find out whether they'll be traveling this upcoming week ahead of championship Sunday.
