NFL 2008 Divisional Playoffs | Cardinals 33 Panthers 13

Cards Deck Panthers in Carolina, 33-13

Cardinals were without Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin but used their other Pro Bowl receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, to build a 27-7 halftime lead. Fitzgerald recorded 155 of his 166 receiving yards in the first half.
Larry Fitzgerald

NFC Divisional Playoff: Arizona Cardinals 33 Carolina Panthers 13

The Arizona Cardinals advanced to the NFC Championship by defeating the Carolina Panthers 33-13 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The Panthers entered the game with a perfect 8-0 record at home in 2008, the only NFL team to go undefeated at home during the regular season.

The Cardinals earned the victory with impressive performances on defense and offense.

Five Arizona defenders intercepted passes and the defense held the NFL's third best running attack to 75 yards rushing.

On offense, the Cardinals were without Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin but their other Pro Bowl receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, rose to the occasion and build a 27-7 halftime lead. Fitzgerald recorded 155 of his 166 receiving yards in the first half.

In an NFC Divisional Playoff game at Carolina, the deck seemed stacked against the Cards.

The Cardinals were 0-5 on the east coast in 2008 and were facing the only NFL team that went 8-0 at home.

Furthermore, Carolina was previously undefeated in Divisional Playoff games (3-0), Jake Delhomme had never lost to the Arizona Cardinals (4-0) and Delhomme was the better quarterback compiling a 122.3 rating in their win against the Cardinals earlier in the season. Plus the Panthers played against stronger NFC South competition while the Cardinals played against the anemic NFC West.

Even before it was known that Pro Bowl WR Anquan Boldin would miss the game with a hamstring injury, few if any gave the Cards a chance against 2-seed Carolina (We predicted a Cardinals victory, although not by that score).

But as the game progressed, it was all Arizona as the Panthers scored TDs on their first drive of the game and their last. In between, the Cardinals scored 33 unanswered points.

The Cardinals defense forced Jake Delhomme into 6 turnovers (5 INTs and a fumble) off which the Cardinals scored 23 of their 33 points.

WR Larry Fitzgerald was again spectacular, finishing with a team playoff record 166 yards on 8 catches with a TD while the Cardinals defense held his Panther all-pro counterpart, Steve Smith, without a catch until the final minute of the third quarter.

The Panthers took the opening kickoff to midfield and a 31-yard DeAngelo Williams run took it to the 9 before Jonathan Stewart scored. Later in the quarter, Fitzgerald's 41- yard catch gained 41 yards on 3rd-and-2 and that led to a 3-yard Tim Hightower TD catch from Kurt Warner that tied the score 7-7.

On the next play from scrimmage, DE Antonio Smith stripped Delhomme on a sack and recovered the fumble at the Carolina 13. The fumble recovery led to a 4-yard Edgerrin James TD run and a 14-7 Cardinals lead.

The Panthers moved to the Arizona 15 on the next drive thanks to a 45-yard pass interference call but CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted Delhomme at the goal line. Neil Rackers then extended the lead to 20-7 with FGs on the next two Cardinals drives.

A Gerald Hayes interception halted Carolina's following drive on the first play. It was followed by Fitzgerald's 29-yard catch and dive to the pylon that extended the lead to 27-7 at the half.

The only points of the 3rd quarter came when Antrel Rolle gathered in a Delhomme pass tipped by Rodgers-Cromartie and WR Steve Smith and returned the interception to the Carolina 26. That set up Rackers' 33-yard FG that made it 30-7.

Arizona then ended the first two Panther drives of the 4th quarter with interceptions by Ralph Brown and Rod Hood. Rackers fourth field goal of the game made it 33-7 with 3:10 to go and only an 8-yard TD catch by Smith in the final minute made it 33-13.

Five different Cardinals players intercepted Carolina Panthers QB Jake Delhomme: Antrel Rolle, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Gerald Hayes, Ralph Brown and Rod Hood. The Cardinals forced Delhomme into one of the worst passing performances of his career as a starter. Delhomme finished the day completing 17-of-34 passes for 205 yards, a TD, five INTs and a QB rating of 39.1.

Panthers Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith totaled 1,421 receiving yards in 14 games during the regular season. While being covered by Cardinals rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Smith didn't record his first reception of the game until there was less than a minute left in the third quarter. Smith finished the game with two receptions for 43 yards and a TD, which came with 0:50 seconds left in the fourth quarter, long after the game had been decided.

DeAngelo Williams, the NFL's third-best rusher who ran for 1,515 yards during the regular season, was held to just 63 yards rushing. In the last eight games of the regular season, Williams scored 15 rushing TDs and averaged 6.5 yards per carry and 124.1 yards per game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals rushed 43 times, the highest single game total this season. Their 43 rushes netted them 145 yards on the ground, the second-highest total they have accumulated all season.

Rodgers-Cromartie had twice as many passes defensed (4) as Smith had receptions (2) in the game, including his INT. The rookie also tipped a Delhomme pass intended for Smith in the third quarter that was intercepted by Antrel Rolle.

Julius Peppers, Panthers Pro Bowl defensive end, was held in check all day. Peppers, who finished the regular season tied for third in the NFC and fifth in the NFL with 14.5 sacks on the season, was held without a sack and recorded just two tackles against the Cardinals.

With the Cardinals 33-13 win over the Carolina Panthers, Arizona advances to the NFC Championship and faces the Philadelphia Eagles who defeated the New York Giants. As host of the NFC Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium, the Cardinals are the first 4-seed since 1990, when the NFL expanded the playoff field to six teams, to host a Conference Championship.

The win over the Panthers was the franchise's first win in a Divisional Playoff Game. Coming into the game, the Cardinals were 0-3 in Divisional Games.

The Cardinals will be making their first ever appearance in an NFC Championship game. Before this season, the Cardinals were the only team not to reach the NFC Championship Game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.

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