Greetings from snowy Charlotte where we are roughly 30 minutes away from kickoff for the 2016 NFC Championship game! For the first time in NFL history two Heisman winning quarterbacks will lead their teams against the other in a chance to make it to Super Bowl. This year’s Super Bowl marks the 50th year of the big game and will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, home of the San Francisco Forty Niners.
The Carolina Panthers went on a historic run knocking off 15 regular season opponents in a row before a tough loss in Atlanta to the Falcons in Week 16. The following week they trounced NFC South division rival the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home to the tune of 38-10 and finished the season with its third straight division title, another NFL record. Led by rising superstar Cameron Newton, winner of 2010 Heisman Trophy, the Panthers are proving themselves to be the cream of the National Football League.
On the other sideline is a wily veteran named Carson Palmer with some hardware of his own. The 2002 Heisman might be playing in his first conference championship game but he has a ton of game experience under his belt and he will need every bit of it to lead his team to the Big Bowl. Palmer likewise led his team to the division title in the NFC West, a division some think is stronger than its Southern counterpart. Palmer had a rather outstanding season on his own and was neck and neck with Newton for the league MVP award.
These teams match up rather well with a good passing attack, strong running and excellent defenses. What, then, are the keys for each team to win? Sharona has your answers.
Arizona Cardinals
The key for Arizona might seem simple but its not. Contain the unanimous league in Cameron Newton. The Cardinal blitz more than any team in the league rushing more than four rushers a league high 45.1% of opposing quarterbacks dropbacks (the league average is about 30%). Getting to Newton is hard but possible he did absorb 33 sacks furing the regular season. Yet, his special blend of throwing prowess and escapability with his legs makes this rather dicey. He can hurt you if you leave receivers in man coverage.
Newton has thrown 35 passing touchdowns while rushing for an additional 10 more. Will the Cardinals blitz less choosing to put a spy on Newton? If so, who will it be? Rising young defensive back Tyrann Mathieu is out for the post season but they do often utilize defensive packages calling for 6 and 7 defensive backs. Perhaps hard hitting safety DJ Swearinger might be called into action or Rashad Johnson. It will be interesting to see how they handle Newton.
Carolina Panthers
Palmer has been fantastic but the player the Panthers need to watch is rookie sensation David Johnson. A former wide receiver who converted to running back Johnson has been absolutely fantastic for the Cardinals. The sensational rookie has 8 rushing touchdowns, 4 receiving touchdowns and 1 kickoff return for a touchdown. He is a threat every time he touches the ball.
Indeed, the Cardinals are talented at receiver outside of divisional round hero Larry Fitzgerald. The Brown brothers, John and Jaron (no relation), are rising young players in addition to Johnson and fourth year player Michael Floyd is having a good year as well. They don’t use him much but tight end Darren Fells is an outstanding receiver in addition to being a good blocker. The depleted Panthers secondary will have its hands full with the wide range of talent available to Palmer.
Other factors:
The home field advantage cannot be overlooked but this game might very well come down to coaching. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has overcome an ealy reputation for conservative palycalling to earn the nomiker Riverboat Ron but conservative tendencies remain. Meanwhile, wildman Bruce Arians is going to stay true to his tendencies and will take risks. Which coach will be more aggressive? Could be the deciding factor both good and bad.
Final score prediction:
Arizona Cardinals 31
Carolina Panthers 35
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