NFC Championship Game 2016: 5 reasons the Cardinals could beat the Panthers

The Carolina Panthers (16-1) host the Arizona Cardinals (14-3) on Sunday at 6:40 ET. Here are a few reasons the Cardinals could take a win on the road in the NFC Championship Game.

A little over a year ago – January 3, 2015 to be exact – the Arizona Cardinals were embarrassed on national TV by the Carolina Panthers 27-16 in a game where Arizona was lucky to have even scored six.

The 2014 Cardinals were inflicted with a terminal case of Ryan Lindley at the end of the season. They ended up accumulating a whopping 78 yards of offense, thanks to Lindley’s 44.3 QB rating performance. But this year will be different. This is not simply a wishful idiom for the 2015 team; it’s true. The Cardinals finished 2015 with the NFL’s top offense in yards (408.3/g) and second in scoring (30.6/g). The question won’t be how in the hell will they be able to move the ball, rather it’s closer to how in the hell will the Panthers stop them from moving the ball?

The Cardinals are a team with solid veterans. wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is a long-time Cardinal – as are defensive end Calais Campbell and safety Rashad Johnson – but quarterback Carson Palmer, defensive end Dwight Freeney, defensive end Red Bryant and offensive tackle Jared Veldheer have all found various degrees of success elsewhere.

However, at their core, this is a young, athletic roster. Cornerback Patrick Peterson, wide receivers Michael Floyd and John Brown, and safety Deone Bucannon are all talented players hitting their collective primes.

We take a look at how the Cardinals could pull off the road victory on Sunday and make it to the second Super Bowl in their history.

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