THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Kurt Warner is going back to the Super Bowl, a sweet journey for a 37-year-old quarterback considered washed up not so long ago.

Warner engineered Arizona's 32-25 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday in the NFC championship game, the culmination of an unlikely playoff run for a Cardinals franchise that had been the joke of the league for years.

Warner has been there twice, in 1999 and 2001, as the ringmaster of the "Greatest Show on Turf" of the St. Louis Rams, and his cool leadership and ageless arm were perhaps the biggest reasons for Arizona's climb from the league's depths.

Warner threw four touchdown passes Sunday, three to the phenomenal Larry Fitzgerald. But his biggest was his fourth, an eight-yard middle screen to rookie Tim Hightower, who barreled over the goal-line to give the Cardinals back the lead with 2:59 to play.

It came at the end of a 14-play, 72-yard drive that used up nearly eight minutes of the fourth quarter after the Eagles had rallied from an 18-point deficit to go ahead 25-20.

Warner completed 21 of 28 passes for 279 yards with no interceptions.

He almost wasn't even Arizona's starter when the season began.

He was in a tight competition with young Matt Leinart in training camp before coach Ken Whisenhunt announced he would go with Warner after the final pre-season game. Whisenhunt said he thought Warner would do well, but not this well.

In leading the Cardinals to the NFC West title and their first home playoff game since 1947, Warner ranked second in the NFL in completions (401), completion percentage (67.1), yards passing (4,583) and passing touchdowns (30).