What a shocker this game turned out to be. At first, it seemed as thought the Panthers would have quite a productive night against the Cardinals.

Anyone who thought the Cardinals were out of tonight's game from the get-go was dead wrong. The fact that Vegas had the Panthers as 10-point favorites was completely asinine; that much I knew from the beginning.

There can only be one word to describe the Cardinals defense tonight: suffocating. The Cards' defense picked off Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, six times. Delhomme threw five interceptions, and also fumbled the ball once.

This game reminded me of the 2003 NFC Championship between the Panthers and Eagles, where the Panthers picked off the Eagles and held them to three points, but this time the roles were reversed.

The Cardinals offense also played tremendously. They outrushed the Panthers by about 20 miles, and their passing game was terrific.

The Panthers had shown earlier in the season that they were a slow team coming off the bye week. Tonight, Carolina's team called out sick and sent in their look-alikes. 

The Panthers scored on their opening drive, and scored on their last drive. Everything else in between was all Cardinals, and that's how the night went.

Simply put, the Cardinals brought their A-game to Charlotte, and smacked the Panthers all over their homefield. It was a testament to what this Cardinals team is.

In closing, whichever team the Cardinals face in the NFC Championship will have their hands full, especially considering that WR Anquan Boldin should be back in that game.

Also, on a side note, Happy 34th, Jake Delhomme. You now have the rest of the off-season to celebrate!

See you next year, Panthers. It's going to be a long off-season.

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