Predictions for NFL Wild Card Weekend
No. 5 Arizona Cardinals (11-5) at No. 4 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1)
Saturday January 3, 2015 4:20 pm on ESPN
(First off, I just want to say how disgusting it is to see a team with a losing record make the playoffs over a team that won 10 games (Philadelphia Eagles). I don’t care that the Panthers won their division…they had a losing record. It makes no sense and it isn’t fair to a team like the Eagles who actually had a successful, winning season. The NFL needs to fix this pronto, but hey, it is what it is.)
This game is clearly the weakest of the four Wild Card games and the least watchable. (BTW: Maybe it’s me, but ever since NBC started televising NFL games again during the 2006 season, I’ve noticed that on Saturday during Wild Card weekend, the 4:00 pm game is always the weakest game of the four Wild Card games. Like seemingly always. Go back and check if you like. Just thought about that. However, ESPN is televising this game. Just wanted to mention that).
I really can’t put my foot on this game. About three weeks ago, the playing-way-over-their-heads Cardinals were sitting as the No. 1 seed looking at a first-round bye and the Panthers were on the verge of missing the playoffs altogether and now they’re both here. I never thought the Cardinals were as good as their record indicated and the Panthers don’t deserve to be here. The Cardinals are on their third-string quarterback in Ryan Lindley and have a shaky offense at best with no real home-run threats – unless Larry Fitzgerald pulls a throwback game. While Cam Newton and the offense has played better at the end of the season (7th in rushing), they have been wildly inconsistent most of the season. This game at best could go either way.
While Arizona has the more talented secondary (Patrick Peterson, Antonio Cromartie, Tyrann Mathieu), Carolina possesses the better front seven led by 2013 Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly. The question I’m asking myself is, “Who’s playing better going into this game?” and the answer is Carolina. They’ve won four in a row and Arizona has lost the last two games. You can only go but so far with a third-string quarterback at the helm and I think the Cardinals will reach their breaking point in this game. They don’t generate enough points and the Panthers defense has played as good as anyone the last month. Cam will put up just enough points at home to win this game. Arizona’s luck will run out.
My Pick: Panthers 21-16