It’s been a long and difficult season, but the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers are into the postseason. The Cardinals are making their first playoff appearance since 2009, while the sub-.500 Panthers have made it in back-to-back years as NFC South champions.
Can the Panthers carry their momentum over to the postseason? Or will the Cardinals spring a surprise? Read on as we break down this explosive affair.
Don’t miss out on the rest of the wild-card games. Check out our complete picks and predictions for the wild-card round here. You can also read our preview for the intriguing NFC showdown between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys here.
[sc:Football ]Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers Preview
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Carolina
When: Saturday, January 3, 4:35 PM ET
Line: Arizona Cardinals (+4.5) at Carolina Panthers (-4.5); total 38.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals were the first NFC team to clinch a playoff spot, doing so in Week 15. They’ve been in tailspin since then, as they’ve lost their last two games of the season while being outscored 55-23.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Cardinals were decimated by injuries this season, most notably losing quarterbacks Carson Palmer (ACL) and Drew Stanton (knee). The Cards are left with third-year quarterback Ryan Lindley and rookie Logan Thomas.
Lindley, in particular, set career-highs in Week 17 despite throwing three interceptions. He finished with a career-high 316 yards on 23-of-39 passing and his first two career touchdown passes.
Lindley has quite a challenge ahead of him against the NFC South champion, Carolina. The Panthers have at least one interception in their past four games (all wins) coming from five different players—safeties Tre Boston and Roman Harper, cornerbacks Bene Benwikere and Josh Norman and linebacker Luke Keuchly.
If the Cards are to keep Carolina’s defense off-balance, they’ll need to put on a more balanced attack. The Panthers’ rushing defense hasn’t looked too spectacular, giving up 151 yards to Tampa Bay’s 29th ranked rushing offense in Week 15.
Running back Stepfan Taylor has rushed for 3.3 yards per carry and has one rushing score in the season. However, he has also doubled as a receiving threat hauling in three passes for touchdowns. Meanwhile, Arizona has a capable backup running back in Kerwynn Williams, who has rushed for 179 yards on 36 carries in the past four games.
On the other side of the ball, having inside linebacker Larry Foote back should help Arizona tighten up against the run, especially against Carolina’s dual-threat quarterback. Foote has two sacks and six tackles-for-loss this season. With him absent in the final regular season game, San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick was able to exploit the hole down the middle for 45 yards rushing on two carries in the third quarter.
The Cardinals have lost three of their last four road games.
Betting on the Carolina Panthers
When the playoffs start, everybody starts at 0-0. And despite sporting a losing 7-8-1 record entering the NFC wild-card round, the Carolina Panthers are one of the hottest teams in the conference with four straight wins.
Part of the Panthers’ ascension to the top of NFC South is the resurgence of their defense. They had six sacks and returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the Week 17 division-clinching game against Atlanta.
Facing off against either Arizona’s Lindley or Thomas, the Panthers need to keep the pressure on the opposing quarterback. Defensive ends Charles Johnson (7.5 sacks) and Mario Addison (6.5 sacks) should be able to force Arizona’s quarterback to take a sack if not throw some hurried passes.
Strong safety Roman Harper may be able to exploit those hurried passes from Arizona. The only starter in the secondary left from Week 1, Harper poses a constant threat with two interceptions returned for touchdowns this season.
Carolina’s defense may even be kept off the field should the Panthers win the possession battle with a strong rushing game. Quarterback Cam Newton has played at a high-level late into the season. He has a rushing touchdown in each of his last three games while racking up 197 yards on 30 carries. Lead running back Jonathan Stewart is also a threat on the ground, averaging 4.7 yards per carry this season.
Carolina could also take advantage of Arizona’s inability to stop the pass. The Cardinals have allowed 259.5 passing yards per game on the season, 29th in the NFL.
Newton has a couple of capable targets to exploit the particular hole in Arizona’s defense. Tight end Greg Olsen has been Carolina’s most consistent player this season. He leads the team with 84 catches for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. Meanwhile, rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin also has 1,008 yards receiving and a team-high nine receiving touchdowns.
The total has gone under in four of Carolina’s last five games against NFC West teams.
Writer’s Prediction
The Panthers win and book a trip to the divisional playoffs. Create a betting account now and cash in on the exciting NFL postseason.
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