Smith and fellow wide-out Muhsin Muhammad have combined to cause a viable receiving threat for the first time since Muhammad left the team to play in Chicago. Smith and Muhammad have 498 and 469 yards receiving, respectively—the only teammates in the NFC to be in the top 10 in that category.
DeAngelo Williams is responding well in his first year as the starter at running back, while rookie Jonathan Stewart has provided the power running spark that Carolina has been missing since Stephen Davis left. The two have combined for 766 yards and seven touchdowns—five of them belonging to Stewart. This balanced offensive attack has set the stage for a great start to the Panthers’ season.
The biggest key to the game this week will be the same as last week for the Panthers—defense. The Cardinals come to Charlotte with the league’s highest-scoring offense, averaging 29.5 points per game. The Panthers, however, come into Sunday's matchup with the league’s third-best scoring defense, allowing just 14.9 points per game.
The Panthers were successful last week in shutting down Drew Brees and the Saints offense, and a continuation of that effort will be needed to defeat the Cardinals.
Peppers comes into the game with a team-high four sacks and will look to expand upon his recent success against Arizona. His agility and finesse in the pass rush should cause problems for Warner and the Cardinals' offensive line. Peppers recorded a forced fumble last week against Brees, and Warner’s biggest question mark under center may be his ability to hold onto the ball when hit.
Warner has lost four fumbles this year—three of them coming in their Week Four loss to the Jets. If the Panthers can force turnovers on the Cardinals offense, they will be in the driver’s seat Sunday. In Arizona’s two losses this season, they have combined for nine turnovers. In that 21-point loss to the Jets, Warner was responsible for six turnovers—combining three interceptions with those three fumbles.
The Cardinals' defense has been nothing to look past this year, either. Both Bertrand Berry and Travis LaBoy have four sacks, and the unit has racked up a league-high nine forced fumbles. Their team total of 18 sacks is good for fourth-best in the league and they have three interceptions to go along with them.
Their defense has been a question mark at times, however, as they allowed 80 total points in their two losses—56 of those were scored by the Jets.
Another part of the game that will be interesting to watch is the special teams component. The Panthers have had some trouble this year in their punt formation, having had three punts blocked. In their last game, the Cardinals’ Sean Morey blocked the Cowboys’ punt in overtime and Monty Beisel picked up the ball in the end zone for the win.
As in any game, a blocked punt could be the deciding factor if the Panthers cannot shore up their protection. Cardinals return man J.J. Arrington also returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown against Dallas, something Carolina has not allowed this year.
This game is huge for the Panthers; and while it is big for the Cardinals, they have a much bigger cushion in their division than the one the Panthers currently rest on. The Panthers will head into their bye week following Sunday’s game, and they could sit at 6-2 at the midway point when they do so.
The Panthers need to pick up as many wins as possible before they go on a daunting five game stretch at the end of the season against tough opponents. The Cardinals will have fresh legs coming off of their bye week, and look to avoid the sluggish start that occasionally comes from teams fresh off of vacation. This matchup between division leaders will certainly be the game of the week in the NFC.
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