TEMPE, Ariz. — When the Arizona Cardinals struggled to run the ball this season, the offensive line drew much of the blame.

Now that the Cardinals are one win away from their first Super Bowl, it only seems fair to give the line credit for keeping quarterback Kurt Warner in one piece. With time to throw the ball, Warner has put together one of his best seasons.

"We've been protecting Kurt all year, we've obviously put up (offensive) numbers, and we take big pride in that," guard Reggie Wells said. "We're obviously no stranger to negativity around here, but that's just the way it is around here. This group has never really bought into all that. We know what kind of talent we have and what kind of group we have."

The line has helped the Cardinals shift from a pass-first offense to a more balanced attack in playoff wins over Atlanta and Carolina.

It helps that the same five players — left tackle Mike Gandy, left guard Wells, center Lyle Sendlein, right guard Deuce Lutui and right tackle Levi Brown — have started all 18 games.

But the line mostly remains anonymous on an explosive offense that's sending Warner and receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald to the Pro Bowl. Its biggest name is Brown, mostly known for being drafted two slots ahead of running back Adrian Peterson in 2007.

Offensive line coach Russ Grimm often tells his players they shouldn't pay too much attention to criticism from the media and fans, because those critics generally won't give them credit when they do their jobs.

"I tell them all the time, if you pick the paper up on Monday morning and Kurt throws for 300 (yards) or Edge (Edgerrin James) rushes for a hundred and we win, that's all you're going to get," said Grimm, selected to the NFL's All-Decade team of the 1980s. "If it's a bad game, it's, 'We didn't block on the run, we got sacked too many times.' "

Criticism of the line mounted as the Cardinals stumbled after clinching their first division title in 33 seasons. No one took more heat than the 6-foot-5, 322-pound Brown, who received a guaranteed $18 million in his first contract.

Brown shrugged off a question about whether his high draft status created unrealistic expectations.

"I don't really focus on all that," said Brown, a Penn State product. "I'm here with the Arizona Cardinals, and they brought me here to win, and as you can tell, that's what we're doing."

The Cardinals gave up 28 sacks during the regular season, but only one in two playoff games. They rushed for 73.6 yards per game during the regular season, last in the NFL, but have averaged 115.5 yards in the postseason.