Arizona Cardinals to face Carolina Panthers in Wild Card round
Dec 29, 2014, 12:23 AM | Updated: 3:10 am
The Arizona Cardinals are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2009-10 and will travel to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 2:35 p.m.
Arizona started the season 9-1, but a myriad of injuries, particularly to their starting and back-up quarterbacks, caused them to finish the season with an 11-5 record, good enough for the fifth seed in the NFC.
Carolina won the lowly NFC South with a record of 7-8-1, beating the Atlanta Falcons in their regular season finale to clinch the division. The Panthers are only the second team to win their division with a losing record (Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West at 7-9 in 2010).
Carolina and Arizona did not meet during the 2014 season, with their last matchup coming in Week 5 of last season, a 22-6 Arizona win in Glendale.
The last time Arizona traveled to Charlotte for a playoff game was in 2009. The Cardinals upset the Panthers 33-13 in the Divisional round on the road to their Super Bowl appearance.
That game was the last road playoff win for the Cardinals. Arizona is 0-1 on the road since.
Only Larry Fitzgerald, Lyle Sendlein and Calais Campbell remain on the Cardinals’ roster from that game.
Drew Stanton’s status for next weekend’s game is up in the air due to a knee injury.
Arizona will rely on its “next man up” mentality to advance in the playoffs with, at best, an injured back-up quarterback.
