Cardinals 34, Seahawks 21: Cards Set to Host Playoff Game After Bidding Holmgren Farewell

Kurt Warner -- as he's been doing to NFC West foes all season -- torched the Seattle secondary. He ended his day early with 263 yards and four touchdown passes. Two of those scores were to Larry Fitzgerald, who concluded yet another strong season in the desert. The game itself, however, took a back seat to a few things.

First of all, Mike Holmgren coached his last game for the Seahawks. After a very strong tenure which saw Seattle become a regular in the playoffs and visit their first Super Bowl, Holmgren steps down as easily the most decorated coach in franchise history. They visited the postseason in six of his 10 seasons, and they had only done so four times in their first 23 years of existence. After the game, he was -- understandably -- quite emotional.

"I started talking to the team, and I couldn't talk," he said. "I'm an emotional coach, anyway, and I told them I'd visit with them (Monday), because if I tried to do it now, it'd be ridiculous."

On the other side of the field, Ken Whisenhunt was very classy, as usual, and referred to Holmgren as a legend.

"I'm going to miss him, but I'm not going to miss him in this division," Whisenhunt said. "He's been great with me as far as helping me and talking with me, and I certainly respect that."

The Cardinals have finished with a winning record, which is a feat for this franchise, since they haven't had a winning season since 1998. There will be talk this week about how they are the worst team in the playoffs -- which already began last week -- and it's tough to dispute. They've only scored one more point than they've allowed this season. They got to play the Rams and Seahawks twice each, and took on the Dolphins when the Fins were still awful.

They do play well at home, and you have to like Warner's postseason experience over that of the rookie Matt Ryan. Still, it's a tall order for the Cards to win, considering how poorly they've played since jumping out to 7-3.