Packers vs. Cardinals: TV Schedule, Odds, Ticket Info, Game Time and More

It's rematch time in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday when the Green Bay Packers visit the Arizona Cardinals.

The first encounter didn't go too well for the visitors, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers struggled and Arizona cruised to a 38-8 decision in Week 16. Green Bay turned it around last weekend, though, going to Washington and getting a ticket to the next round by way of a 35-18 victory.

Perhaps more interesting is quarterback Carson Palmer and the Cardinals, who got waxed 36-6 by the Seattle Seahawks to close the season and sat out last week on a bye. Head coach Bruce Arians and his staff have to hope lessons learned from the first blowout of the Packers can override a sudden halt in momentum.

Everybody loves a sequel. This one's as unpredictable as the rest, so here's everything to know about the contest.

Game Details

When: Saturday, January 16, at 8:15 p.m. ET

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Television: NBC

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Over/Under: 50

Spread: Arizona (-7)

Team Injury Reports

NAME	STATUS
Davante Adams, WR	Questionable

NAME	STATUS
Chris Johnson, RB	Out

Injury reports courtesy of ESPN.com.

Proving They Belong

The Packers blew it the first time against the Cardinals, then let the Minnesota Vikings walk into their house and steal the NFC North crown the following week.

Now the Packers continue to play while the Vikings watch from home after a loss to Seattle last weekend.

Green Bay seemed to need a wake-up call—and got it over that two-game stretch. Against Washington, Rodgers only took one sack, and the running game came alive with 32 carries for 141 yards and two scores, good for a 4.4 yards-per-carry average.

With both major weaknesses suddenly an afterthought, Rodgers and the Packers have revenge on the mind.

"We kind of felt like this was a possibility to be able to go back there after that loss," Rodgers said, according to ESPN.com. "We're coming off, obviously, a big win, and in (the Cardinals') last game they got beat by a lot. So it's going to be a more competitive game, I bet."

The trick would be not allowing those weaknesses to re-emerge. Rodgers took eight sacks against the Cardinals in Week 16, and the ground game needed 26 carries to reach 101 yards and didn't reach paydirt.

None of that was surprising, of course. Arizona tallied 36 sacks this year with the sixth-ranked run defense while allowing just 19.6 points per game.

Arizona knows what Green Bay wants to do, making for quite the war of wills. If the Packers want to stay alive, overpowering an elite adversary on the road for a taste of revenge is a championship-caliber test.

Bringing the Heat

Arizona is rested and will throw everything it has at Rodgers.

Those eight sacks in the first matchup weren't a fluke. Rodgers took 46 sacks this year, and there hasn't been much the offense has been able to do about it. According to ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss, Rodgers averaged just 2.66 yards per dropback.

In other words, Arizona's rush was so potent Rodgers hardly took normal three-step drops into passing plays. Not only does the absence of receiver Jordy Nelson hurt things, but wideout Davante Adams might not be able to play either, according to Weinfuss' colleague Rob Demovsky.

So no, Arizona won't change much on the defensive side of things. On offense, Palmer tossed two touchdowns against the Packers the first time out, par for the course for a guy in the MVP discussion with his 35 scores to 11 interceptions. His backs added 121 yards and a score.

Palmer shouldn't have any problems this time either. If Washington's defense had been able to slow Green Bay at all, signal-caller Kirk Cousins would have done more damage than his 329 yards and a score. 

There clearly isn't a defensive problem in Arizona. At this point of the postseason, teams don't change up much, depending on what worked to get them there. The Cardinals can go into this home game with confidence that the plan will work again, with the pressure of a response falling on the opposition. 

Prediction

While it's great to see the Packers show signs of life, the roster around Rodgers is too depleted for them to pull off the upset. 

An outburst from the running game saved the Packers last week. Otherwise, Rodgers' receivers still couldn't create enough separation fast enough to mask a miserable offensive line. It's no wonder why Green Bay excelled either—Washington entered ranked 26th against the rush.

Arizona enters Saturday ranked sixth.

Palmer's not going to have many issues against a gassed Green Bay defense. The Arizona defense will force Rodgers into a one-dimensional look, which isn't as dangerous this year as it would be normally. Look for the Cardinals to control the pace and pull away.

Prediction: Cardinals 24, Packers 17

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of January 13. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.