Cards routs mistake prone Panthers to advance to NFC championship game

No one really took the Arizona Cardinals seriously entering the NFL playoffs, but after destroying Carolina on the road Saturday evening that should change.  The Cards forced 6 turnovers and essentially whipped the Panthers in every phase of the game in front of a stunned crowd at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium en route to a 33-13 victory.   Objectively, the game wasn’t even as close as the lopsided final score would indicate.

The Cards defense forced Panthers QB Jake Delhomme into five interceptions and a fumble, and their own offense behind veteran QB Kurt Warner took advantage of the miscues.   The game was essentially over by halftime, and Delhomme was at a complete loss to explain what had just transpired:

"I'm at a loss for words. Usually I'm not. For one reason or another, I didn't give us a chance tonight."

Panthers' defensive standout Julius Peppers wasn’t much more verbose:

"We didn't do anything, and you know before you go on the field that if you don't play well, you are going home. It didn't happen for us today and we've got a long time to think about it."

The game started well enough for Carolina, as Jonathan Stewart’s 9 yard rushing TD put the Panthers up 7-0 with less than four minutes elapsed.  Unfortunately, those would be the Panthers’ final point until a meaningless Delhomme to Steve Smith TD pass with less than a minute to play in the game.  Tim Hightower caught a three yard TD pass from Warner to even the score later in the period, and Edgerrin James TD run with 1:30 to play in the first quarter put the Cards up 14-7—a lead they’d never relinquish.

Arizona extended their lead in the second half, with two Neil Rackers FGs and another Warner TD pass—this one to Larry Fitzgerald—staking the Cards to a 27-7 halftime advantage.  The game was all but decided at this point, and the Cards took it easy in the second half adding two more FG before the final meaningless Carolina TD to produce the final margin of victory.

The Cardinals now find themselves one win away from a highly improbable Superbowl berth.  While most of the NFL has been caught by surprise, QB Warner suggested that the Cards success is no fluke:

"It's a group of guys that put their mind to going out and playing great football.  Everybody that needed to step up, stepped up. Everybody that needed to make a play, made a play and that's what it's all about."

Arizona entered the contest as 10 point underdogs to Carolina, who was the only team in the NFL to post an undefeated record at home this season.  Cards head coach Ken Whisenhunt suggested after the game that he likes the underdog role:

"Not many people had very nice things to say about us and didn't give us a chance. I think we've showed we can come to the East Coast and win a game. ... We believe in ourselves. I like being the underdog, and we're going to continue to be the underdog."

Cards’ defensive end Antonio Smith, however, said that it was time for the rest of the league to start giving the team respect:

"We've been the underdog forever. It's about time that we proved to everybody what we got."

Arizona will play the winner of Sunday’s NY Giants/Philadelphia Eagles game for the right to represent the NFC in the Superbowl.