Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders (below) pump their team to victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest professional football team in the United States. They have not had a single NFL playoff game at home in 60 years, until today when they beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 at Glendale, Arizona.


For such a gripping game and exciting finish, the Cardinals were having trouble selling tickets at the University of Phoenix Stadium, with a seating capacity of about 65,000! Under NFL rules, a team must sell out a home game before it can be broadcast on local television, with a deadline to do so 72 hours before kickoff. But since the Cardinals were still left holding 5,600 tickets, the NFL extended that deadline by 24 hours. But even by that new deadline 3,700 tickets remained unsold. So the league granted the Cardinals another 24 hours. And this time, with the help of a local pool supply company, which bought a chunk of tickets, the game finally sold out.

The reason for this lack of enthusiasm? The Arizona Cardinals have won a single championship back in 1947, with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. In their two decades in Arizona, they made the postseason only once before now, in the 1998 season.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Steve Breaston (15) gains a first down as Atlanta Falcons' Keith Brooking (56) and Erik Coleman, rear, defend during the fourth quarter of an NFL wild-card playoff football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals were able to run out the clock for the win with the first down. The Cardianls won 30-24. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

"I hope this gives us a lot of confidence," 37-year old quarterback Warner told reporters after completing 19 of 32 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. "I knew we believed we could win this game. I hope we can parlay this into some more confidence and believe we can go wherever we have to go and win."