Cards may not have Boldin vs. Panthers
The Arizona Cardinals might not be a full strength for Saturday’s divisional round game with the Carolina Panthers after Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin suffered a hamstring injury during Arizona’s win over the Falcons last Saturday.
Boldin suffered the injury on a 71-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. He caught a short pass from Kurt Warner and ran down the left sideline for a score that put the Cardinals ahead 14-3 with 8:58 left in the first half. Boldin was limping noticeably at the end of the play but returned briefly on the next series then left the game for good. Boldin will be evaluated over the next few days and is officially questionable as of today.
“It’s unique plays a lot of times with him,” Offensive coordinator Todd Haley said of playing without Boldin. “He can run the ball and do so many different things. Now a large chunk of your game plan is gone.”
The Cards are the biggest underdogs on the WagerWeb.com board for this weekend’s games at +10.
Boldin caught nine balls for 63 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 8 27-23 loss in Charlotte. Injuries have caught up to Boldin often this season, as he missed two games because of a hit that caused multiple facial fractures and two games because of a shoulder ailment. Steve Breaston, a 1,000-yard receiver himself, would see a much larger role if Boldin sits. Breaston had two catches for 39 yards on Saturday and nine receptions for 91 yards in the first meeting with Carolina.
The Cardinals lost all five games in the Eastern time zone this season and are 2-19 over the past six seasons. The Cardinals led 17-3 in the third quarter of that first Panther game, but two turnovers eventually did them in. Kurt Warner completed 35 of 49 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns for Arizona but with one costly interception. Carolina was an NFL-best 8-0 at home, but its closest call came in that Cardinals game.
It’s actually not out of the realm of possibility the Arizona hosts the NFC title game. It just needs a win this week and the Eagles to beat the Giants in the Meadowlands, something Philly already has done once this year.
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