The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl!

For the first time in 61 years, the Arizona Cardinals are going to the NFL Championship game.

That’s right; the team that won the weakest division in the NFL is making it to the Super Bowl. The team that allowed 103 points to the Jets and Patriots combined is making it to the Super Bowl. The team with no 600-yard rusher is going to the Super Bowl. The team that outscored opponents by 3 points (429-426) in the regular season is going to the Super Bowl.

No one thought they would make it to the postseason, let alone the Super Bowl. 16 ESPN analysts recorded their preseason NFL predictions in August of 2008. Only 2 of them (Len Pasquarelli and Matt Williamson) chose Arizona to win the division. The rest chose the Seattle Seahawks to win the NFC West division.

The Cardinals entered the playoffs on a slide, losing 4 of their final 6 games. In those games, they were outscored 198-138. The playoffs were a whole new story for Ken Whisenhunt’s team.

Kurt Warner led the Cardinals past the Atlanta Falcons at home in the NFC wild card round. Warner threw for 271 yards with 2 touchdowns in the 30-24 victory. Larry Fitzgerald caught one of Warner’s two touchdowns and also had 101 receiving yards.

Rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, brother of Chargers’ cornerback Antonio Cromartie, led the Cards with 10 tackles in the win. Rodgers-Cromartie also intercepted one of Matt Ryan’s passes in the game.

In the divisional round, the Cardinals faced a much tougher situation: on the road, facing the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinals were 0-5 on the east coast during the regular season, but again, the playoffs change everything.

Larry Fitzgerald caught 166 of Kurt Warner’s 220 passing yards and another touchdown. Running backs Tim Hightower and Edgerrin James combined for 133 rushing yards and one touchdown.

But the real story was the Cardinal defense. Arizona’s defensive line hurried Jake Delhomme and forced him to make inaccurate throws. Five of his mistakes ended up as interceptions by the Cardinals. Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted his second pass of the playoffs in the game. Antrel Rolle also picked off one of Delhomme’s passes en route to a 33-13 victory over Carolina.

At home, the Cardinals faced the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat them Thanksgiving night 48-28. The Eagles also defeated the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and New York Giants just to make it to the playoffs and to make it to the NFC Championship game.

Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner hooked up 9 times. Fitzgerald caught 152 yards and 3 touchdowns, but Kurt Warner shined with his other teammates too.

With Arizona losing 25-24 in the 4th quarter, the ball was in Kurt Warner’s hands and he needed to make plays. A crucial 4th and 2 play forced the Cardinals to decide on an important play. Warner handed the ball off to running back Tim Hightower and ran to the outside for a 1st down, saving the Cardinals’ season.

With 2:59 to go in the 4th quarter, Kurt Warner threw it to Hightower 8 yards into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Warner and the Cards won the game 33-25 and are going to Super Bowl XLIII, the Cardinals’ first in team history.

Larry Fitzgerald made history in the playoffs, becoming the first player to record 3-100 receiving yard games in the same postseason. Fitzgerald was also the first player to score 3 touchdowns in the first half of an NFL conference championship game.

The Arizona Cardinals’ 61-year championship drought was the second-longest in sports history for teams in North America. Only the Chicago Cubs’ World Series drought that is over a century long stands now.

Former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner improved to 3-0 in conference championship games. Warner is looking to go 2-1 in his Super Bowl appearances.

The Cardinals will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII on February 1 in Tampa, Florida.