(Jan. 16, 2016 - Source: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America)
Cam Newton has surfaced his smile on media outlets worldwide the entire fall/winter season of NFL action. As the cameras continue to zoom in, now it is time to answer the real question : is he really ready to take Carolina to win their 1st NFL championship? His performance last week was so super stellar that it seemed almost to be a blur to the viewers. A 31 point lead was established in the first half of a game in which Newton went 16-22 on pass attempts and featured a TD pass as well. Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart kept it business as usually including a 50+ yard run on the very first play of the game last weekend. 109 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns on just 19 attempts was a job well done to make the lead insurmountable for the striving Seahawks to overcome. The passing game of Arizona cannot have Carson Palmer tossing interceptions into the hands of the Carolina Panthers the way he did against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round on this particular occasion unless they plan on spending their Super Bowl 50 Sunday at home eating Doritos on the sofa. I expect the Panthers to keep the Arizona rushing attack at bay. The Cardinals must convert their red zone opportunities with touchdowns, if not they will find themselves in a ground and pound match up their personnel isn't built to endure. We like Carolina to win this one with a score around 24-20.
(Jan. 15, 2016 - Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)
The Bruce Arians coached Arizona Cardinals pack a punch on the offensive side of the football. They ranked 2nd in scoring and first in total yards per game this season. The loss of superstar safety Tyrann Mathieu definitely hurt the soul of many NFL fans including those of the Arizona Cardinals. His absence means that QB Cam Newton will be able to run freely without the worry of a nerve wrecking speedster spying him down his throat. Even without Mathieu, the strength of the Cardinals defense is still undoubtedly in their secondary but Cardinals DT Calais Campbell may be looking to stake his claim by halting the rushing attack of the Carolina Panthers on the biggest stage of his young promising career. The Panthers will likely lineup in their big packages (i.e I-Form, Singleback, Pistol, etc) to force the Cardinals to staff their defense with minimal defensive backs. This means that stopping the run is a must in order to prevail. Offensively, thank God the Cardinals have WR Larry Fitzgerald who is a season vet determined to redeem his heartbreaking lost in Super Bowl XLIII. He will play a big role in attempting to visit Bank of America Stadium and leave with a one way ticket to Super Bowl 50. If the Cardinals can get an early lead and force the Panthers to some early three and outs, they'll be able to suck the life out of the home crowd and get the road upset in the NFC Championship. That of course will be much more easily said than done.
ARIZONA CARDINALS @ CAROLINA PANTHERS 6:30 p.m. E.T on FOX
