Cardinals offense finds new gear with running game powered by Wells

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Beanie Wells would like to think his rushing contributions helped fuel Kurt Warner's 379-yard, five-touchdown, four-incompletion performance Sunday against Green Bay in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs.

Then again ...

Beanie Wells' speed-power combo has brightened up the Cards' offense. (Getty Images)

Wells is partially correct. Warner's performance was nearly flawless in the Cardinals' 51-45 win. But so was the running game, which totaled 156 yards against the league's top-ranked run defense.

It was the epitome of a balanced attack. So when the scoreboard finally froze at University of Phoenix Stadium, a stunning possibility came into focus.

This Cardinals offense, so dazzlingly lethal in last year's postseason run to the Super Bowl, just may be better this time.

"I hope so," Cards coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "You never know that for sure until it's all said and done, but I certainly think we're running the ball better now than we were in the playoffs last year.

"That was the No. 1 rush defense we went against, and we almost doubled what they've been allowing. To me, that's a good indication that we're doing some good things."

There are several constants from last season, starting with Warner, who, when given time, is one of history's most precise passers.

Then there is receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the rainmaker. In five career postseason games, Fitzgerald has nine touchdown receptions, including that ridiculous, one-handed circus catch Sunday in the south end zone, where Warner admitted he was just trying to throw the ball away in the face of heavy pressure.

"Larry does things you don't think are possible," Warner said.

Even without a healthy Anquan Boldin, the Cards still got a huge game from their receiving corps. Steve Breaston, who had more than 1,000 yards last season in the No. 3 role, had seven catches for 125 yards and a TD against Green Bay. Fitzgerald had two TDs, and Early Doucet had six catches for 77 yards and two TDs in a breakout game Whisenhunt said reminded him of Boldin.

Boldin has one year left on his contract. If the Cards decide they can't pay him top dollar -- a likely scenario given the money already committed to Fitzgerald -- Doucet is the heir apparent.

"He just continues to impress us with the limited amount of opportunities he's gotten," Warner said.

Wells credited the offensive line for making all those things possible -- calling Sunday's game the unit's best collective performance of the season.

"We just had a good game plan and everybody held up their end of the bargain," right tackle Levi Brown said.

But the starters, with the exception of left tackle Jeremy Bridges, who is filling in for Mike Gandy (injured reserve), were all here for the previous postseason, and performing at the same high level.

The biggest difference on offense is Wells. Last season, the Cardinals used running back Tim Hightower in tandem with a well-past-his-prime Edgerrin James. The duo was effective. But, as azcardinals.com writer Darren Urban astutely pointed out earlier this season, Wells provides the combined power and big-play capability that Arizona has lacked since Ottis Anderson roamed the fields in the late 1970s and early '80s.

"He has a lot higher gear than Ottis I think ever dreamed of having, and that's not a slam on Ottis," former Cardinals fullback Ron Wolfley told Urban. "But Beanie has that same kind of coo-coo-cachoo, I call it, that little hiccup where those hips just 'boom' and break you down.

"He can embarrass you. He can embarrass you in front of your family. He can embarrass your wife who is watching you because this man can run right over you. And that makes his moves in the open field that much better."

Wells also has a surprisingly quick burst through the hole that was evident on a pair of big runs Sunday (he finished with 14 carries for 91 yards). He helped Arizona become one the NFL's top 10 rushing teams, in per-game yardage, over the second half of the season.

If fate had been different, Wells could have been lining up on the opposite side of the ball this Saturday with the New Orleans Saints.

"Beanie is someone we really liked coming out of Ohio State and we made a number of attempts, in fact, to try to trade back into Round 1 [of the 2009 draft] to select him," New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. "He's certainly one of the young players that's going to have a great career in this league and is playing well already."

Wells said it is vital for the Cardinals to get things rolling early against an unfriendly crowd in New Orleans.

The Cards may even need a repeat of last week's point production when they face Drew Brees and the Saints offense -- especially when you consider the 493 yards Green Bay racked up against the Cardinals.

But here's the flip-side question: If the Cards can manage 531 yards and 51 points against the Packers' second-ranked defense, what will they do against the NFL's 25th-ranked unit?

"Our offense has been good so far, but it's the NFL. Things can change very quickly," Fitzgerald said. "We need to keep our foot on the gas pedal."