Carolina Panthers Vs.Arizona Cardinals- Playoff Maker or Breaker ?

This weekend's Panther's game against the Cardinals has implications that extend far beyond the Panthers walking away from the game with a 6-2 record or a 5-3 record. Yes, it is not too early to mention the big "P" word.   As a matter of fact, the way it is going now, getting the chance to see playoff action in January is trending towards the better NFC teams either needing to be their divisional winner, get in by grabbing a wildcard (which will require some good play and some very good luck) or simply by staying home and watching the games from their own sofa.

If the season ended today the Panthers and Redskins would be the two NFC Wildcard teams.  But that is only because they are one conference win ahead of the their nearest challengers.  However, we all know the season does not end today and a one game lead does not mean anything when the teams who are one game behind you have some some very winnable games left on their schedule.

The Panthers can get into the playoffs two ways.  First they can win the NFC South out right and the second option is to get in via the wildcard. That means winding up with  the 6th best record in the NFC and if tied with any other teams the Panthers will need a collection of wins and tiebreakers that is better than the pack of teams also trying to   obtain the same playoff spot the Panthers are.

Winning the NFC South is attainable for Carolina but it is becoming a tall order. Taking the South will be tough since the Panthers have already been soundly beaten by the division leading Buccaneers. The loss to Tampa compounded things for Carolina as the loss costs the Panthers an all important, divisional tie-breaker.  Losing to Tampa was almost like losing two games for the Panthers.

So, why this weekend?  Why is this game so important for the Panthers to win?  The reasons are many but most of all the Panthers need every win they can get. Should  Carolina and Tampa remain tied then the Panthers have no option but to beat the Buccaneers in 6 weeks and then they have to make sure they stay one victory ahead of Tampa Bay for the rest of the season.   

So, with that in mind, consider tommorrow's game a playoff game for the Panthers.   One look at NFC South co-leading Tampa Bay Buc's schedule and you can easily see just how the Bucs could wind up possibly winning all but two or three of their remaining games. Carolina has a very similar schedule but they cannot afford any slip-ups. If the Panthers win the remaining games they are "supposed to win" and if they then beat Tampa Bay they could win the NFC South unless Tampa wins more overall games than Carolina.

Sunday's game is huge for the Panthers.  A win for Carolina and the team could go into the bye week with a share of the NFC South lead or better and then they would have almost 2 weeks to get Jeff Otah, Ryan Kalil and DJ Hackett, among others, healthy.  With a win tomorrow and a loss by Tampa Bay to Dallas, the Panthers could find themselves all alone in first place in the NFC South and find themselves at the top of the rankings in the NFC.  

Is it a big game? Yes. Is it winnable? Very much so. On defense, the Panthers will be putting their 2nd ranked pass defenders up against the league's 2nd ranked pass offense.  On the offensive side of the ball, the Panthers will be putting up Steve Smith, Muhsin Muhammad and Jake Delhomme up against the Cardinal's, shakey, 20th ranked pass defense.  If the Panthers can establish any kind of run game then move to the play action pass then it could be a long afternoon for the Cardinals.  

The key to the game is going to be Jake Delhomme getting the ball to Muhammad and Smith and equally important will be the Carolina defense forcing the Cardinals to turn over the  ball.  Washington scored 10 points off of turnovers in their win over Arizona and the Jets scored 56 points on a Cardinal's team that turned over the ball 7 times. 

The Panthers have one of the top turnover forcing players in the league in safety Chris Harris.  The match-ups to keep an eye on are the Arizona receivers and the Panther's defensive backs.  A critical match-up will be Ken Lucas and Larry Fitzgerald and another will be Steve Smith and the two or three defensive backs the Cardinals decide to use to cover Smith.  If the Cardinals do go to a zone defense designed to keep Delhomme's passes  underneath their secondary then watch for the Carolina receivers to "sit" on their routes which will allow Jake Delhomme to pick apart the Cardinal defense.  Lastly, neither team can ill afford to forget the other's run game.  There are four running backs playing tomorrow who all have the ability to score from any place on the field.

Final Score

Carolina 29

Arizona  17