NFC Championship Game is all-NFC West, making Cardinals’ playoff exit more painful

The NFC West has arguably been the best division in football for the past few years. There is more evidence to that.

Three teams from the division made the postseason, as the Los Angeles Rams won the division and both the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers made the postseason as wild-card teams.

Now the NFC Championship Game is an all-NFC West affair.

The 49ers knocked off the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field 13-10 on a last-second field goal, while the Rams dominated early against the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, building a 27-3 lead, only to lose the lead and then getting a game-winning field goal as time expired to win 30-27.

The tough thing to watch for Cardinals fans is the fact that their team went a combined 3-1 against both teams in the regular season. And with the win by the Niners, had the Cardinals been able to beat the Rams and then the Bucs, they would have been hosting the NFC title game against the 49ers. The Cardinals have not lost a postseason game at State Farm Stadium.

With two division rivals playing this coming weekend, it will be hard for Cardinals fans to decide on a team to prefer. No matter what happens, one of their division rivals will be going to a Super Bowl that was believed to be possible for the Cardinals.

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