Warner, Arizona beat Atlanta to win playoff opener, 30-24

Published 11:28 pm Saturday, January 3, 2009

Kurt Warner opened with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald and connected with Anquan Boldin on a 71-yard scoring play as the Arizona Cardinals beat Atlanta 30-24 Saturday before a raucous, white towel-waving crowd in their first home playoff game in 61 years.

Falcons rookie Matt Ryan was intercepted twice, tackled in the end zone for a safety and fumbled the ball away on a botched handoff. The fumble was returned 26 yards by Antrel Rolle 52 seconds into the second half to put Arizona (10-7) ahead for good.

The Cardinals’ Edgerrin James outgained Atlanta’s Michael Turner, the NFL’s No. 2 rusher.

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James, who has made it known he will not be back with the Cardinals next season, carried 16 times for 73 yards. Turner, who rushed for 1,699 yards in the regular season, had 42 yards in 18 attempts.

Warner, in the playoffs for the first time since leading St. Louis to a second Super Bowl in the 2001 season, was 19-of-32, 13-for-17 in the second half, for 271 yards. He was intercepted once.

Arizona will play at either the New York Giants or Carolina Panthers next weekend.

Ryan, the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, completed 26 of 40 passes for 199 yards and two scores for the Falcons (11-6).

The Cardinals’ 30 points were their most in the playoffs, breaking a record set by the then-Chicago Cardinals in the NFL championship victory over Philadelphia in 1947. That was the franchise’s last home playoff game before Saturday.