CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers put on an absolute clinic against the Arizona Cardinals to win the NFC Championship 49-15, the first time since 2003. Carolina emphatically punched their ticket to Santa Clara with a chance to win their first Super Bowl ever.
The Panthers played amazingly on both sides of the ball. Cam threw for 335 yards and 2 TDs, while the running game picked up 152 yards. Newton is the only player in NFL history to throw for at least 330 yards and run for 2 TDs in a playoff game. Greg Olsen, as always, was an integral part of the offense and picked up 113 yards through the air, the same amount of yards as Corey Brown.
The defense was characteristically ball-hawking, forcing 7 turnovers total, 4 interceptions on Carson Palmer and 3 recovered fumbles. The only concern is the arm injury that Thomas Davis Sr. sustained that caused him to watch from the sideline for much of the game. His status for Super Bowl on February 7th is not yet determined, but the injury did not look good.
The Panthers had a trend of blowing big leads after halftime. This wasn’t the case this time. After going up 24-7 at half, the Panthers kept the pedal to the metal by not abandoning the passing game, which they did against the Seahawks.
The Panthers will be facing all-time great Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. The Broncos have one of the top defenses in the NFL in terms of points and yards allowed. Their defensive prowess was on display in the AFC Championship game against the Patriots as they held Tom Brady’s team to 18 points.
The Broncos consistently put pressure on the quarterback with great defensive ends in Von Miller and Demarcus Ware. Their secondary is also fantastic with Chris Harris Jr. and Aquib Talib. However, the Broncos have had struggles on offense and are vulnerable with a 39 year old QB and receivers who are prone to drops.
The Panthers have changed their identity from a move-the-chains offense to a big-play offense. They no longer solely rely on short passes and first down runs, but have added the long ball as well. Carolina’s offense is the most explosive in the NFL and the credit goes to Cam Newton, who makes Ted Ginn, Corey Brown, and Devin Funchess so much better with his improved passing from the pocket. Cam is likely the regular season MVP, but has a very good chance to be the Super Bowl MVP as well.
For a team that was mostly ruled out of any serious contention after Kelvin Benjamin’s season-ending injury, the Carolina Panthers have proved the doubters wrong and more. They are a young team and have their best player in Cam Newton locked down through 2020. We could be looking at the beginning of a dynasty for years to come.
