Again they meet this Saturday, as the Arizona Cardinals host the Green Bay Packers at the University of Phoenix Stadium for the National Football Conference (NFC) Divisional Playoffs.
In the meeting between the Cardinals and Packers in Week 16 of the regular season, Saturday's hosts dominated the Packers en route to a 38–8 win.
The victory over the Packers in the regular season was part of a nine-game winning streak that the Cardinals had before they fell to the Seattle Seahawks to close the regular season.
During the game, Arizona's defense stopped the heart and soul of the Packers' offense, franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers, sacking him eight times.
If Packers head coach Mike McCarthy did not pull out Rodgers from the game to have a brief rest, he could have been sacked a few more times.
The 32-year-old quarterback was limited to only 15 completions for 151 yards and one touchdown, also throwing one interception in the loss.
That touchdown and the two-point conversion were the only scoring opportunities Green Bay had versus the Cardinals.
Now, the Cardinals and head coach Bruce Arians are aiming for a repeat performance of what happened in the regular season.
Last season, Arizona failed to win the NFC West and finished second in the division, going on to lose to the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card Playoffs.
This season, the Cardinals took home the division championship and are aiming to advance to the Conference Championship, a round they last appeared in 2008.
The Cardinals are confident heading to the playoff game versus Green Bay, with Arians and a number of players responding to Rodgers' statement that the pressure is on them.
In a report by the Toronto Sun, Arians said there is no pressure on their side, only high expectations.
Rookie linebacker Markus Golden echoed the thought of his coach about pressure and said confidently, according to the report, "Me, I'm just ready. I've been waiting my whole life for a game like this. I'm ready to get out there and play."
