GLENDALE, Ariz. --- The Atlanta Falcons can run away with a wild-card victory over Arizona on Saturday, if regular-season history means anything.
The Falcons, led by Michael Turner, have one of the best rushing games in the NFL. The Cardinals have the worst.
"It's no secret. We know what they're going to come in and try to do," Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby said.
Turner went from San Diego backup to a Pro Bowl powerhouse in Atlanta, helping the Falcons turn a tumultuous 4-12 finish last season into a playoff run in 2008. He rushed for 1,699 yards, second only to Adrian Peterson in the NFL and 521 yards more than the entire Arizona team.
"That's at the core of our belief as a coaching staff, that you have to be able to run the football and control the line of scrimmage," Atlanta coach Mike Smith said, "because when you do that, it opens up the rest of the offense."
Turner said the Falcons (11-5) don't need to resort to any tricks or big surprises.
"The team that makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win the football game," he said. "Some guys try to make the game seem like they've got to make that extra play or something like that, but just stick with what got us here. If we execute, we'll be fine."
The Cardinals (9-7), dead last among 32 teams in rushing, have returned to Edgerrin James as their lead back after banishing him to the bench for seven games. James gained 100 yards in Arizona's 34-21 victory over Seattle on Sunday to move ahead of Franco Harris into 11th on the league's career rushing list.
James acknowledged he never bought in to Arizona's pass-crazy offense.
"They did what they had to do, but at the end of the day, that's all over with," James said after Thursday's practice. "Now it's time to get serious. We're through playing around. Everything is serious and I'm here to try to make plays and try to help this team move forward."
When Arizona is out of the playoffs, James knows he is gone from the Cardinals.
"I think the feeling's mutual," he said, laughing. "It's something I'm going to contest."
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said he recognized much of Atlanta's offense because he and Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey were together on Bill Cowher's staff in Pittsburgh. Whisenhunt was tight ends coach before succeeding Mularkey as offensive coordinator.
"They've got a couple of good running backs. Their offensive line works very well together, and they work hard to finish blocks," said Whisenhunt, who is a graduate of Richmond Academy and Georgia Tech. "They have a lot of confidence in their running game even if they don't get a lot of positive carries early, they'll stay with it and eventually they'll break one."
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