Cardinals end 60-year run of futility, 32-25

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Game over: On their final play, the Eagles tried a series of laterals and had the ball picked off by Arizona's Darnell Dockett. The game is over, and the 60-year wait for a conference title is finally over for the Arizona Cardinals with their 32-25 victory.

Philadelphia's gallant drive to the playoffs and surprisingly show in the playoffs end with coach Andy Reid falling to a 1-4 record in NFC championship games. But the Eagles showed amazing grit, going on a 19-0 second half run to overcome a 24-6 halftime deficit.

Among the big producers:

Larry Fitzgerald tied an NFC championship game record with three touchdowns and 152 yards on nine catches.

Kurt Warner threw for four touchdowns, including the game-winner, and was 21-for-28 for 279 yards.

In unforgiving Philadelphia, McNabb no doubt will be dogged for his game-ending incompletions, but for overall he was 28-for-44 for 375 yards.

:09 left, fourth quarter: Arizona has punted out of bounds. Philadelphia has one shot left.

1:51 left, fourth quarter: Philadelphia may be out of time, as the Eagles just turned the ball over on downs at the Arizona 48-yard line. On fourth-and-10, Donovan McNabb threw incomplete to Kevin Curtis. On Fox, Troy Aikman said pass interference could have been called on Roderick Hood, who made contact and fell on the play.

Mcnabb was 0-for-4 on the last set of downs. He threw behind Hank Baskett once and also appeared to have DeSean Jackson open on another incompletion.

The Eagles are out of timeouts. It is still Cardinals 32, Eagles 25.

Whether you're stuck at work, can't get to a television or just want to review what already has happened, we'll be blogging the NFC and AFC championship games live today. We'll try to post after every change of possession. Once the Eagles and Cardinals get under way in Arizona, you can get the lastest statistics from the NFC game by clicking here. And don't forget, if there is a controversial call or you want to question strategy, get the conversation going in the "comments" section.

FOURTH QUARTER

13:00 left, fourth quarter: Arizona again can't get anything going in the second half and has to punt. Philadelphia, once down 24-6, has clawed its way back into this one, and clearly has the momentum on its side as the fourth quarter begins.

10:45 left, fourth quarter: With a 62-yard home run pass to rookie DeSean Jackson, the Eagles have taken a 25-24 lead while outscoring Arizona 19-0 in the last 8:30.

Jackson beat another rookie sensation, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, and tipped and juggled the ball several times before hauling it in. Because of the Eagles' earlier missed PAT, they went for a two-point conversion -- for the first time all season -- and failed.

Regarding Jackson, don't forget that early in the game forced a fumble after Donovan McNabb was intercepted, and Philadelphia regained possession. Eagles 25, Cardinals 24.

2:53 left, fourth quarter: Arizona has retaken the lead, 32-25, on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tim Hightower. Hightower bulled his way into the end zone, taking hits from two defenders. The Cardinals went for the 2-point conversion and completed it with a pass to tight end Ben Patrick.

The key to the drive was going for it on fourth-and-inches at the Philadelphia 49-yard line. Hightower provided the first down with a sweep right, for six vital yards. Larry Fitzgerald also had two more big catches, one for 18 yards with the Eagles blitzing, and another on a leaping catch for seven yards. Cardinals 32, Eagles 25.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP PREGAME

Phoenixstadiumforblog_2 The roof of the University of Phoenix Stadium is of course closed. That will contain the crowd noise from Cardinals fans and also is in keeping with the statistical trends of Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport/US Presswire)

One of our staffers at the game, Jim Corbett, forwards this data on Warner's history inside and outside:

Warner won 21 of his first 22 games as a starter indoors. For his career, Warner is 36-11 indoors as a starter. Outside, he is 21-33 as a starter.

Also, the Cardinals are 7-2 this season at home. Corbett says Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt has just gone up to each and every one of his players during their team stretching routine, making sure to shake every hand and offer what he hopes will be some inspiring words.

Another of USA TODAY's reporters at the NFC game, Tom Pedulla, reports that Arizona's offense has been much more balanced during the postseason. Reports Pedulla:

The Cardinals have thrown 72 times during postseason while running 71 times, including a season-high 43 rushes in their 33-13 divisional playoff rout of the Carolina Panthers. During the regular season, it was 630 passes, 340 rushes.

Also -- under the title of "Good on yer, mate!" -- we have an Aussie note.

No matter what, this season's Super Bowl will be the first to have an Australian in the game. Arizona’s Ben Graham and Philadelphia’s Sav Rocca are among six Australians to play in the NFL. The two are veterans of Australian Rules Football. Graham played in 219 matches for Geelong from 1993-2004. Rocca appeared in 257 matches for Collingwood and North Melbourne from 1991-2006.

Jordin Sparks, who got the liftoff for her singing career on American Idol, just belted out a spirited version of the national anthem, so we're just a few minutes away from kickoff.

FIRST QUARTER

Larryfitzforblog 9:20 left, first quarter: Arizona has opened the game with a quick touchdown march. The Cards scored on a short crossing-route pass, to Larry Fitzgerald, who got into the end zone despite taking two open-field hits. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Perhaps more importantly to Arizona's overall outlook, the Cardinals opened by proving the can run the ball. They had three runs for first downs during their 80-yard drive. When these two teams met earlier in the season, Arizona didn't get a single rushing first down.

Edgerrin James had runs of 16, 11 and 1 yard for first downs, all of which went left.

Another good early sign for Arizona was that Kurt Warner picked up a blitz the first time he faced third down, and connected with Anquan Boldin to get the drive going. Boldin also caught an additional pass, so he appears to have answered questions about his health.

One other interesting note: Even though the game is being played indoors, the ball blew off the team as Philadelphia prepared to kick off. A bad omen for the Eagles? Cardinals 7, Eagles 0

4:46 left, first quarter: Philadelphia has answered Arizona's opening touchdown with a 45-yard field goal by David Akers to pull within 7-3. The kick extends Akers' postseason streak to 19 in a row, including 8-8 in this season's playoffs. Akers' streak of 19 is the NFL record for the playoffs. Gary Anderson held it previously, with 16.

Philadelphia's drive started with a 22-yard scramble by Donovan McNabb, his longest run of the season.

As Arizona gets ready for its next drive, it's worth noting that Philadelphia allowed only an average of 12.1 points in its last seven games. Cardinals 7, Eagles 0

3:03 left, first quarter: Arizona couldn't get anything going on its second possession, and just punted. Philadelphia came with a couple of blitzes that worked well.

SECOND QUARTER

13:09 left second quarter: A great call and a great catch and run by Larry Fitzgerald has pushed Arizona ahead 14-3. On the play, Kurt Warner pitched out to J.J. Arrington, then had the ball passed back to him. Warner then hit Fitzgerald with a 62-yard scoring pass, and Fitzgerald evaded one shoestring tackle for his second touchdown of the game. Cardinals 14, Eagles 3

13:30 left, second quarter: David Akers' streak of 19 consecutive field goals in the postseason is over. He just hooked a 47-yard attempt wide right.

But Philadelphia had a fortunate exchange of turnovers early in the drive. Aaron Francisco intercepted a McNabb pass and brought it back to mid-field, but had the ball stripped on a deft play by Eagles rookie DeSean Jackson. Jon Runyan recovered to re-start the Philadelphia drive.

On the Arizona sidelines, Kurt Warner and offensive coordinator Todd Haley had what looked like a brief and somewhat angry exchange of words last time the Cardinals came off the field.

9:02 left, second quarter: David Akers has a new field goal streak going in the playoffs, with one in a row. After that missing that last kick, he's back on the board with a 33-yarder down the middle.

But the Eagles were hoping for more, after making a 47-yard gain on a reception and excellent run by Kevin Curtis. Cardinals 14, Eagles 6.

3:06 left, second quarter: A couple of things are clear now that Arizona has taken a 21-6 lead. First, the Eagles' blitzing isn't bothering Kurt Warner. Second, the Eagles have no answer for Larry Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald just scored his third touchdown, on a one-yard pass to the left sideline of the end zone. The Cardinals were in a first-and-goal situation at the 1-yard line after Asante Samuel drew a pass interference call while trying to cover Fitzgerald.

Warner is now 4-for-8 for 89 yards on plays where Philadelphia has blitzed, according to Fox. Warner also continues to be red-hot in the red zone. During the regular season, he had 27 touchdown throws in the red zone, against two interceptions. Cardinals 21, Eagles 6.

1:31 left, second quarter: Eagles just had to punt, and Arizona has a chance to score again before halftime. Larry Fitzgerald has 99 yards on five catches. An intentional grounding call on Donovan McNabb helped stall the Eagles' last drive. Cardinals 21, Eagles 6.

Halftime: Neil Rackers connected on a 49-yard field goal as time expired to give Arizona a 24-6 lead at the half. The Cardinals moved in range on a third-down pass for 13 yards to Anquan Boldin, where Kurt Warner got rid of the ball a split-second before going down. Larry Fitzgerald, who has three touchdown catches, also had a key 14-yard gain during the drive, and headed to the locker room with 113 yards on six receptions.

Among the other key stats at halftime:

For Arizona: Kurt Warner is 14-for-17 for 203 yards with no interceptions. He has been sacked only once. Edgerrin James has 56 yards on seven carries.

For Philadelphia: Donovan McNabb is11-for-19 for 109 yards, with one interception and no TD throws. Brian Westbrook has been held in check, gaining 19 yards on five carries. He also has one catch, for seven yards. Cardinals 24, Eagles 6

THIRD QUARTER

12:02 left, third quarter: Philadelphia squandered its first possession of the second half, as Donovan McNabb fumbled away the ball while being sacked by Adrian Wilson. Bertrand Berry recovered for the Cardinals. Wilson came free on the pass rush, and got to McNabb untouched. The score is still Cardinals 24, Eagles 6.

10:07 left, third quarter: Arizona couldn't take advantage of the turnover on the fumble and had to punt the ball back.

Meantime, here are some stat updates on Larry Fitzgerald's three-touchdown game:

This is Fitzgerald's fifth consecutive 100-yard game. With three TDs, he now shares the record for an NFC championship game, along with:

Otto Graham, Cleveland vs. Detroit, 1954

Gary Collins, Cleveland vs. Baltimore, 1964

Tom Matte, Baltimore vs. Cleveland, 1968

Preston Pearson, Dallas vs. Los Angelers Rams, 1975

Emmitt Smith, Dallas vs. Green Bay, 1995

4:08 left, third quarter: The Eagles finally have scored their first touchdown, on a 6-yard pass to tight end Brent Celek.

A 50-yard completion to Kevin Curtis -- on third-and-19 -- was what fueled the drive. Donovan McNabb also moved the Eagles to the 6-yard line with a 10-yard scramble on third-and-six. For the game, Celek and Curtis have been the heart of Philadelphia's offense. Celek has eight catches for 47 yards, and Curtis has piled up 108 yards on three receptions. Cardinals 24, Eagles 13.

3:32 left, third quarter: Arizona couldn't do anything with its last possession, and for the first time in the game Kurt Warner looked bothered by the Eagles' pass rush. The Cardinals punted, and Philadelphia will take over at its 39-yard line. Cardinals 24, Eagles 13

:49 left, third quarter: It's now a one-score game as Brent Celek has scored his second touchdown of the game, on a 31-yard pass. Celek had to skip his way out of one shoestring-tackle attempt, but kept his feet and made most of the yardage after the catch. Celek now has nine catches in the game. During the regular season, the tight end had just one touchdown reception.

Philadelphia has outgained Arizona this half by 165 yards to 29.

The downside for Philadelphia is that the normally reliable David Akers missed the point-after kick. He hadn't missed a PAT all season. Akers also has missed one field goal in this game, ending his postseason streak of 19 straight FGs. Also, questions no doubt are going to be asked why the Eagles didn't go for two, to get within 24-21. Cardinals 24, Eagles19.