ARIZONA (14-3) at CAROLINA (16-1)
Sunday, 6:40 p.m., ET, FOX
OPENING LINE -- Panthers by 3
RECORD VS. SPREAD -- Cardinals 9-8, Panthers 12-5
SERIES RECORD -- Panthers lead 9-5
LAST MEETING -- Panthers defeated Cardinals 27-16 in wild-card playoff game on Jan. 3, 2015
LAST WEEK -- Cardinals defeated Packers 26-20, OT; Panthers defeated Seahawks 31-24
AP PRO32 RANKING -- Cardinals No. 4, Panthers No. 1
CARDINALS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (1), RUSH (8), PASS (2)
CARDINALS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (5), RUSH (6), PASS (8)
PANTHERS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (11), RUSH (2), PASS (24)
PANTHERS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (6), RUSH (4), PASS (11)
STREAKS, STATS & NOTES -- Panthers had NFL-high 10 players named to Pro Bowl; Cardinals had seven. ... Carolina and Arizona rank 1-2 in NFL in scoring, wins, point differential and touchdowns. ... Cardinals had better record on the road (7-1) than they do at home (7-2). ... Larry Fitzgerald's 10 postseason touchdown catches are most ever for first eight playoff games. ... Carson Palmer set franchise records in yards passing (4,671), TD passes (35) and passer rating (104.6.). ... Cardinals are 26-5 in Palmer's last 31 starts. ... Cardinals OLB Dwight Freeney one of 12 players with at least 10 postseason sacks. ... Cardinals rushed for a combined 67 yards in last two games. ... Fitzgerald has caught a pass in 179 consecutive games, longest active streak in league. ... Arizona is 2-0 in postseason overtime games. ... Cardinals 29-2 under Bruce Arians when allowing 20 points or fewer. ... Cardinals pass rush specialist Tom Pratt coached in first Super Bowl (as Kansas City D-line coach). ... Panthers fourth NFC championship game appearance and first since 2005. They're 1-2 overall, advancing to Super Bowl in 2003. ... Panthers have won 12 straight at home, including two playoff games. ... Ron Rivera is 19-5 in games played in December and January since taking over as coach in 2011. ... Panthers have best record in NFL since 2013 (33-10-1). ... Panthers have run for 100 yards in NFL-best 27 straight games. ... RB Jonathan Stewart ran for 106 yards and two TDs last week vs. Seattle after missing three games with foot injury. ... Panthers finished season second in NFL in red zone touchdown percentage (68.3). ... Panthers have scored at least 27 points in 14 of last 15 games. ... WR Ted Ginn Jr. has four multi-touchdown games this season. ... Panthers QB Cam Newton had NFL-high 45 combined touchdowns this season (35 passing, 10 rushing). ... Panthers led the league in takeaways with 39. ... DE Kony Ealy could start for Jared Allen (fractured bone/foot). ... Led NFL with franchise-record 500 points scored in regular season. ... TE Greg Olsen had 77 catches for 1,104 yards and seven TDs in regular season. ... Since entering NFL in 2012, LB Luke Kuechly leads league with 591 tackles. He has 13 INTs since 2012, most by an NFL linebacker. Had INT return for TD last week vs. Seattle.
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