When delving into the NFC Championship game, it is clear this will be a battle of two surging offenses who each had well-known weaknesses, that have since been solved, and miraculously turned into solutions. This game will feature an older quarterback and coach combo that had serious questions if either would get another shot at a starting job and head coaching gig respectively. While the other side has a quarterback that thought to be young and immature and a head coach that was thought to be on his way out at one point. That being said a lot of positions that possess intriguing players and this breakdown.
Offensive Line:
Similar to the offensive lines in the AFC, neither team has an elite offensive line, however, there are multiple players who are above average for their positions. For the Panthers center Ryan Kalil and right guard Trai Turner have been extremely consistent and were both elected to the pro bowl, but left tackle Michael Oher and right tackle Mike Remmers have left a lot to be desired pass blocking for Cam Newton on the edges. This line typically is much better in run blocking than pass blocking.
As for the Cardinals the left side of the line with left tackle Jared Veldheer and left guard Mike Iupati is their dominant side with both players above average from a pass blocking standpoint and are also able to move people in the run game. Unfortunately, center Lyle Sendlein has been mediocre, right guard Ted Larsen has been adequate after taking over for the drastically underachieving top 10 pick Jonathan Cooper. Furthermore, right tackle Bobby Massie is just average.
When comparing both of these lines, each team has high-level performers, paired with other mediocre linemen, and quarterbacks with solid pocket presence. However when looking at the groups as a whole, the Panthers have the slight advantage because of how talented Turner and Kalil are on the interior. They are clearly the top two players of the 10 player group, and despite questionable tackle play, they upgrade the line with elite communication. Had Cooper panned out the Cardinals would have the advantage, but with Larsen having to come in, the Panthers get the edge.
Advantage:Â Panthers
Wide Receivers:
This is the biggest mismatch of all the positions on the offensive side of the ball as the although the Panthers receivers have performed much better than anyone anticipated and has proven to be tough to stop with solid route running, the Cardinals have superior talent all the way down the depth chart. Ted Ginn, Jerricho Cotchery, Philly Brown, and Devin Funchess are solid depth options, but compared to Larry Fitzgerald (a future hall of famer), Michael Floyd, John Brown, Jaron Brown, and J.J. Nelson this is a no contest. The three best receivers belong to the Cardinals while Ginn may slide in front of Jaron Brown, and definitely in front of J.J. Nelson, who needs some further polishing.
The true reason the receivers for the Panthers have been so successful is the ability of the play action game, the improvement of Newton in the pocket, and the play-calling abilities of Mike Shula who knows exactly what plays to call against every defense, and has developed the trust in Cam Newton that all the elite quarterbacks elicit in their coordinators. While, on the flip side, Carson Palmer makes his receivers good, but they already have elite skills, and make up a loaded core.
Advantage:Â Cardinals
Tight ends:
Ok, I lied. This is also one of the biggest mismatches as Carolina clearly has an edge with Greg Olsen patrolling the seam, and the emergence of Ed Dickson as a dependable third option on plays. The only star player or even above average option though in either group is Olsen, who has been the go-to man in this offense, and is a mismatch in coverage. Olsen is a top five tight end in the game with his size and speed and has routinely burned the best of defenses, most recently against Seattle.
On the Cardinals side Darren Fells, Jermaine Gresham, and Troy Nicklas lack the ability to put fear in defenses, which is some that is missing in this Arizona offense. A true weapon that can patrol the seam would give the Cardinals the ability to face single coverage across the board, but that would be a true pie in the sky scenario. With the current options at tight end, this is a no-brainer as Olsen trumps all three of the Cardinals options put together.
Advantage: Panthers
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Running backs:
This is about as close as it can get as David Johnson and Jonathan Stewart are excellent backs with power, speed, and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. These two backs are very similar and built similarly as well, however if there is an edge to give between these two, it belongs to Stewart as he has been successful longer.
When digging deeper and looking at the specialty backs, Mike Tolbert for the Panthers as their short yardage back, and Andre Ellington as the former starter who sees very little run nowadays. Fozzy Whitaker gets the edge here for his dependability, quickness, pass blocking skills, and durability.
Other backs thrown into the equation are Cameron Artis-Payne, and Stepfan Taylor and Kerwynn Williams for the Cardinals, but at this point they are purely depth options and some may even be inactive in this upcoming game, therefore there is very little to put into them.
The edge for this one goes to the Panthers due to Tolbert as a better back on short yardage and pass blocking, as well as durability.
Advantage:Â Panthers
Quarterbacks:
The final and most interesting question as it is a battle of quarterbacks with different styles. One is a dual-threat nightmare while the other is a gunslinger in every sense of the word. I am of course referring to Newton and Palmer. The main problem when comparing the two is that Newton is playing as well as anyone right now, and with his new-found accuracy on deep throws and strong-arm paired with his run ability, he wins almost any comparison of quarterbacks.
Palmer has played outstanding as a guy who has incredible arm strength, solid decision-making, and good awareness in the pocket in most cases, but the new finger injury seems to have affected his accuracy. In addition to the accuracy issues, Palmer also struggled to compose himself in the pocket in the last game against the Packers, and with the ferocious Panthers front up next that should only worsen.
Who would have thought we would be talking about an improved Newton, as someone who would improve and become one of the best quarterbacks in the league, as well as the top candidate and favorite for the MVP.
Advantage:Â Panthers
Overall: Panthers win 4-1
When looking at offenses, going into this I thought I would be talking more about the Cardinals, but the Panthers seem to be carrying the edge in this upcoming matchup due to no other reason than their star quarterback. Newton has been playing flawlessly, improved his reads, and no longer feels like he as to run immediately if his first read is not there. This game will come down to what defense gets more stops, but the Panthers offense is churning right now, and with Palmer banged up, all bets lead toward Carolina as the stronger offense right now.
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