We are less than 24 hours away from a Cardinals’ home playoff game…the first since FDR was in office. And now that the game is a sellout, we can concentrate on football, and not have to worry about being embarrassed that we couldn’t sell out our own stadium.

The Falcons are still favored by a point or two depending on which line you’re reading, but this is a unique case in which both teams are genuinely stoked that they’re playing each other. The Falcons feel the Cardinals are the worst of the 12 teams in the postseason, and the Cardinals are 0-4 against the other NFC playoff participants.

Can the Cardinals, losers of four of their last six games, actually win against a team that is 8-2 in their last 10? The answer is yes, and here’s how. (And I know Alicia Keys has nothing to do with anything written about in this post, but hey, made you look.)

• Get an early lead. The Falcons don’t play well from behind. In fact, the biggest deficit they’ve overcome in a game they’ve won this season is 3 points, when they trailed the St. Louis Rams 27-24 in the 4th quarter. It’s not a surprise that the Falcons haven’t played from behind too often seeing as they possess the 2nd best running game in the league. Expect the Cardinals to pull out all the stops early to put the young Falcons in a position they’re uncomfortable in–throwing to catch up.
• Contain Michael Turner. A lot easier said than done. Turner had 8 games in which he went over 100 yards rushing, and two where he topped the 200-yard mark. The Falcons are 8-0 in those games. In the 8 games Turner was under 100 yards, Atlanta went 3-5. The Cardinals are 0-4 in games against teams with the league’s top five rushers this season.
• Make Matt Ryan throw…a lot. Works in concert with the first two keys. Ryan was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year earlier this week. But when he’s been forced to throw a lot, the Falcons have struggled. In 6 games this season, Ryan has had to attempt 30 or more throws. The Falcons are 1-5 in those games.
• Keep John Abraham away from Kurt Warner. Abraham has 16.5 sacks this season, which have come in 10 ball games. When Abraham registers even a half of a sack, the Falcons are 9-1. The Cardinals offensive line has been decent in protecting the gloved one this season, giving up only 28 sacks, which is tied for 11th-best in the league. And when you consider the Cards threw the ball 630 times this season, that mark looks even better.