GLENDALE, Ariz. — In his first postseason, Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald has put his name alongside some of the greatest receivers in the game.
Fitzgerald’s three touchdown catches in Sunday’s 32-25 win over Philadelphia for the NFC title matched the most in any conference championship game. Gary Collins of Cleveland did it against Baltimore in 1964 and Preston Pearson of Dallas matched that against the Los Angeles Rams in 1975.
Fitzgerald’s most impressive record is one that he’s sure to add to in the Super Bowl. His 419 yards receiving are the most for any player in one postseason in NFL history, surpassing the 409 set by Jerry Rice of San Francisco in 1988.
And he joined Tom Fears of Los Angeles (1950-51), Rice (1988-89) and Randy Moss of Minnesota (1999-2000) as the only receivers to top 100 yards receiving in three straight playoff games.
Counting the regular season, Fitzgerald has topped 100 yards receiving in five straight games.
Nothing to kick about: Eagles kicker David Akers had a tough
day despite hitting field goals of 45 and 33 yards.
He missed a 47-yard field goal early in the second quarter, snapping an NFL-record string of 19 straight field goals in the postseason.
Later, Akers shanked an extra point, his first miss in 155 tries since Dec. 19, 2004, a franchise record.
“I’ll be the first to look at myself and say I wish I had a couple of those kicks back, that’s for sure,” Akers said.
Those misses turned out to be important, because it forced the Eagles to go for a touchdown instead of a field goal on their final drive.
Follow the bouncing ball: The Eagles caught a break on a
strange play late in the first half. Leading 21-6, Arizona kicker Neil Rackers lofted a short kickoff to the Eagles 27-yard line, where defensive end Victor Abiamiri tried to make a play on it.
The ball squirted away and the Cardinals fell on it. But the officials ruled the ball was out of bounds, though replays appeared to show that the ball never touched the sideline.
“The line judge ruled that the ball touched the receiving team player and then touched out of bounds, which makes the ball dead at the spot, the Philadelphia 27-yard line,” referee Walt Anderson told a pool reporter.
Officials rejected Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt’s attempted challenge.
“Once we ruled that the kick touched out of bounds, the play is dead,” Anderson said. “It is not reviewable. So we did not enter the replay process.”
Boldin’s back: When he let loose his tirade against Arizona
Cardinals management in training camp, Anquan Boldin vowed his unhappiness would not be reflected on the field. He’s lived up to his promise, and basked in the triumph that sent his team to the Super Bowl.
“Like I told you guys at the beginning of the season, my main goal was to do this,” Boldin said during the celebration on the field. “I’ve come through on my promises. I gave my heart to this organization.”
Boldin said in training camp he would never re-sign with the Cardinals because he felt management lied to him when it promised him a new contract last year and didn’t come through. He has two years left on his current deal.
After missing the divisional playoff win at Carolina with a strained left hamstring, Boldin played in Sunday’s NFC championship victory over Philadelphia, catching four passes for 34 yards.
“I’ve been through a lot in six years here,” he said. “To finally get to this point, to the Super Bowl, when a lot of people didn’t give us a chance — I think we’ve been an underdog every game that we played — for us to overcome that means a lot.”
Reliving misery: This was Eagles coach Andy Reid’s fourth loss
in five trips to the NFC championship game. He wouldn’t rate how painful it was compared to the others.
“They all hurt,” he said. “They hurt the players, the coaches. Nobody feels good about that.”
Losing four NFC title games in eight years stings. But it isn’t as futile as the Los Angeles Rams, who fell one win shy of the Super Bowl four times in five seasons from 1974-78. The Rams made the 1979 Super Bowl and lost to Pittsburgh.
Warner to Warner: Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner had one
completion in the third quarter. He also had one reception.
Warner’s pass on second-and-7 on the Arizona 23 with 49 seconds left in the period was deflected by Eagles defensive lineman Trent Cole. Warner caught the tipped throw and ran with it for 4 yards — half of the Cardinals’ total yards in the period.
In that quarter, Warner was 1-for-4 for 4 yards — his catch. In the other three periods, he was 20-for-24 for 275 yards and four touchdowns.
Fourth and inches: With the victory, the Cardinals took the
lead in the all-time series with Philadelphia, 55-54-5, including 2-1 in the postseason. … The Eagles went 4-0 against the NFC West this season, routing Arizona 48-20 on Thanksgiving night. … Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan suffered a concussion late in the game, coach Andy Reid said. … Cardinals DE Antonio Smith injured his knee and DE Travis LaBoy hurt his biceps.
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