The Panthers are still thinking about last season's 23-10 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers after they won the NFC South. They are hoping to change history and get a win in this wildcard matchup. The Arizona Cardinals have not been in the postseason since 2008 and hope to enter the playoffs with the same momentum they had to start the season.
The Cardinals have been riding high on a strong defensive effort especially in the secondary which will be challenge by the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton who is coming on strong. The quarterback failed to play all 16 games for the first time in his career this season after an ankle injury hampered the start of his season while a car accident kept him off the field during the final stretch of the season.
The Cardinals have fell victim to rushing quarterbacks recently. Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick combined for 151 rushing yards over the past two weeks against the Cardinals defense. Newton is certainly capable of those numbers. He will pair with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to create a strong rushing attack. However, the Panthers defense is looking to be a threat after causing six sacks against the Atlanta Falcons.
Arizona's playoff fate rests in the hands of third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley after players like Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton went down with injuries. That is not ideal for Arizona as the quarterback is just 1-5 as a starter and just notched the first touchdown pass of his career when he tosses a 20-yard pass to Michael Floyd against the San Francisco 49ers. He finished the season with 316 yards and two touchdowns against Seattle. That caused head coach Bruce Arians to start him over rookie Logan Thomas.
The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals enter the NFC wild card game having taken very different paths to the postseason. The Cardinals were one of the hottest teams in the league, starting the year off winning nine of their first ten games. However, they ended the year winning just two of their final six games thanks to quarterback injuries. The Panthers had a losing record all season in the NFC South, but have emerged as one of the hottest teams entering the playoffs as both teams face off for a chance to extend their seasons.
