After the AFC Championship concluded, with the Denver Broncos advancing to the Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers squared off to see which team would represent the NFC in Super Bowl 50. Most fans, including myself, figured this could be an incredibly close game, but that wasn’t the case. At halftime the Panthers led 24-7, and it could have been even worse since Bruce Arians’ team turned the ball over four times in the first half. It didn’t get much better for Arizona as the second half started, and when the third quarter ended Carolina held a 34-7 lead. The Cardinals managed to begin the fourth quarter with a touchdown, followed by a two point conversion, which cut the lead to 19 (34-15). It looked like the Panthers were possibly going to struggle, yet again, to hold onto a lead. That wasn’t the case, however. Riverboat Ron’s team never had to truly worry about failing to hang onto their lead. The Panthers dispatched the Cardinals by a score of 49-15 and advanced to Super Bowl 50 where they will face the Broncos.
Cardinals vs. Panthers Post Game Awards
GAME MVP
CAM NEWTON
Other players on the Panthers certainly stepped up, and this seemed to be a complete team win. Some receivers (Corey Brown and Greg Olsen) had big games, the running game was working (152 total yards) and the defense certainly stepped up in a big way. But in the NFC Championship game, Newton stood above the rest and he showed why he will most likely be named the NFL MVP this season. The former Heisman Trophy winner finished the game by completing 19 of 28 for 335 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Newton also ran the ball ten times for 47 yards and had two rushing touchdowns. Newton became the first player in postseason history with 300 plus passing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a single playoff game.
SURPRISE PERFORMANCE
COREY BROWN
Coming into the 2015 season the focus, wide receiver wise, for the Carolina Panthers, was all on Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen. But Benjamin went down with a season-ending ACL tear before the regular season even got underway. Throughout the season, Ted Ginn Jr. became one of Newton’s favorite targets, but most people don’t think of Corey Brown as a legitimate receiving threat. During the regular season the former Ohio State Buckeye recorded 31 receptions for 447 yards and four touchdowns, which didn’t exactly light the world on wire. On Sunday, he tallied four catches for 113 yards and one touchdown. I personally did not see that kind of performance coming out of Brown, but he had himself a game, and he played a big role in his team getting to Super Bowl 50.
UNSUNG HERO
KURT COLEMAN
It might seem weird to have a guy who finished the regular season tied for third in the league with seven interceptions, but when fans think of Carolina’s defense, they immediately focus on linebacker Luke Kuechly, who had eight tackles and one interception against the Cardinals. Cornerback Josh Norman also comes to mind, who recorded two tackles and two passes defended. And both Kuechly and Norman are excellent players in the NFL and they deserve all of the praise they get. But Coleman doesn’t get enough publicity or praise for how good he is. However, the former Ohio State Buckeye proved his worth against the Cardinals, recording four tackles and two of the Panthers four interceptions. The Carolina defense flat out came to play on Sunday, and Coleman was an integral part of their success. He just doesn’t get enough credit for what he brings to the table.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
CARSON PALMER
This was an incredibly easy call to make. True, the Cardinals offense as a whole was terrible, with dropped passes and subpar protection of Carson Palmer, but he was atrocious. After a great 2015 season (4,671 yards, 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions) and enjoying his first career playoff win in the Divisional Round, the former USC Trojan stunk up the joint in a big way on Sunday. The former Heisman Trophy winner finished 23-of-40 for 235 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. I know he was under duress much of the night, as he was hurried and knocked down throughout the game, and sacked three times. After such an incredible regular season it was incredibly disappointing to see Palmer play so poorly in such a big game. The Panthers were clearly the better team in the NFC Championship, but for the Cardinals to have had a real chance, Palmer needed to play better.
Main Photo:
