NFL Playoffs: MVPs and LVPs of Wild Card Weekend
By Daniel Tran
Arizona Cardinals’ Rushing Attack
It would be tough to hand an LVP to a third-string quarterback because he was never meant to be in that position in the first place. Although he did throw two interceptions, Lindley was thrust into a game he was in no position to win on his own and needed help from his running game to open up the field for him. However, the running game was nowhere to be found.
The Arizona Cardinals only managed 27 yards in 15 carries for an embarrassing 1.8 yards per attempt. With Lindley as the quarterback, the running game needed to pick up the slack and at least provide enough yards for the Carolina Panthers to have to respect the run in order to Lindley some more opportunities to make an impact through the air.
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It is not as if the Arizona Cardinals are unable to the run the ball with Lindley as the quarterback. In the last game of the regular season, the Cardinal rushing attack was still able to account for 98 yards against the San Francisco 49ers. They needed a similar effort in order to give them a chance to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
To their credit, the Cardinals somehow managed to score a rushing touchdown, but only when running back Marion Grice punched the ball into the end zone from the one-yard line after cornerback Antonio Cromartie intercepted a pass from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and returned the ball to the Carolina 17-yard line.
It is a shame that the Cardinal’s offense has suffered so many injuries this season. With the kind of defense that had this year, all Cardinal fans can do is wonder what might have been if they had an acceptable offense in the playoffs.