Statistically, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers beats Carolina's Cam Newton in almost every category. Where you can compare them now is in wins. (1:34)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers haven’t faced the Green Bay Packers in a game of this magnitude or hype since the 1996 NFC Championship at Lambeau Field.

Neither team will move on to the Super Bowl after Sunday’s game at Bank of America Stadium as the Packers did 20 years ago, but the winner will have the early upper hand for home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The Panthers (7-0) are the only undefeated team in the NFC. The Packers (6-1) have the second-best record in the conference.

The only thing that would have made this one bigger was if both were undefeated. Denver took care of that, beating the Packers on Sunday night.

Carolina extended its regular-season win streak to 11 consecutive with a sloppy 29-26 overtime victory against Indianapolis on Monday night.

ESPN.com Panthers reporter David Newton and Packers reporter Rob Demovsky are here to break this one down.

Can Kawann Short and the Panthers defense limit Aaron Rodgers and the Packers the way Denver did in Week 8? Getty Images

Rob, let’s get this started with Aaron Rodgers. How did Denver shut him down and is this a blueprint for future opponents?

Demovsky: You know what, I’ve always felt there’s one way to slow down -- and perhaps even shut down -- Rodgers and this offense: Get pressure on him with a four-man rush, use a linebacker to contain him if he tries to scramble and then cover with everyone else. That’s exactly what the Broncos did. In 2011, when the Packers started 13-0, that’s how the Chiefs became the first team to beat the Packers that season.

Now it takes a special group of defensive talent to pull that off. Do the Panthers have that kind of defensive talent?

Newton: You mentioned pressure with a four-man front and a linebacker to contain. That’s what Carolina does best. You didn’t see that so much against Indianapolis on a muddy track that made traction difficult. But Kawann Short is playing as well as any defensive tackle in the NFL. The Colts dedicated two blockers to him. That allowed ends Kony Ealy and Jared Allen to have big games. Then there’s the best linebacker duo in the NFL in Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. The Panthers still were in that adjustment stage after losing Pro Bowl end Greg Hardy last year when Rodgers schooled them. The secondary also is much improved, with cornerback Josh Norman leading the way. Carolina is far more equipped to handle the Green Bay offense now.

What I’m curious about is the mindset of Green Bay after the Sunday night loss. And do the Packers consider Carolina a serious threat in the NFC?

Demovsky: It’s kind funny because right after the Broncos’ loss, Packers cornerback Casey Hayward was standing at his locker saying, “I’m not sure we’re going to play another great team like this ...” And then he caught himself and said: “Oh wait, we do. We go to Carolina. We’ve got to be ready to play, and I think we’ll be ready.” It made me wonder if Hayward forgot who was next on their schedule or if he was just covering his own rear end because he realized he slipped up and may have insulted the Panthers. Either way, I would expect the Packers to bounce back. Consider this: They haven’t lost back-to-back games with Rodgers as their quarterback since Weeks 5 and 6 of the 2010 season (they did lose consecutive games in 2013 when Rodgers was out with the broken collarbone).

I would think this has to be one of the biggest games in Charlotte in quite some time. What’s the vibe down there going to be like this week?

Newton: First, my vote on Hayward is covering his rear end. Second, it’s pretty electric all over town. The skeptics are starting to believe after Carolina won at Seattle followed by two prime-time wins against the Eagles and Colts. To be honest, this game deserved to be flexed to Sunday night considering the teams' records. Inside the stadium there is a business-as-usual attitude. Players aren’t getting caught up in the hype. Almost every game has come down to one or two possessions. As Ron Rivera said on Tuesday, they haven’t played a complete game. That they’re 7-0 with all the injuries is somewhat amazing. I mean, Kuechly missed three games. Defensive end Charles Johnson has been out four games. Center Ryan Kalil missed Monday’s game. You get the picture.

Back to the quarterback. You saw what Cam Newton did on Monday night in miserable conditions, keeping the chains moving with his legs as well as his arm. What can Green Bay do to counter that?

Demovsky: I’m not sure they can, especially when you look at what Philip Rivers (503 yards passing) and Peyton Manning (340) have done to them in the last two games. Now, you add in Newton’s dynamic dual-threat ability, and they might have real problems. They had some trouble containing Russell Wilson as a runner in Week 2, when he rushed for 78 yards on 10 carries. A week later, Alex Smith rushed six times for 33 yards with a long run of 19. To me, Newton is almost like a cross between Rivers and Wilson. He can get the ball out quickly like Rivers does but can run like Wilson, if not better.

In last year’s game against the Panthers, Rodgers didn’t even have to play in the fourth quarter. The Packers were up 38-3 when Mike McCarthy pulled Rodgers after three touchdown passes. What’s different about Newton this year?

Newton: First, he hasn’t been down 28-0 like he was last year at Green Bay. He never really had a chance to run the offense that day. Beyond that, he’s just playing smart. I’ve used this several times, but the dump-off pass he made to Jonathan Stewart for eight yards to start the winning drive against Seattle is something he wouldn’t have done two or three years ago. He’s also healthier than ever. He’s running nine times a game, and most of those are designed runs. He’s keeping offenses off balance with that. If he could just find a wide receiver that consistently holds onto the football it’s no telling what his numbers would look like. Did you see Ted Ginn Jr. drop that wide open pass in overtime against Indy? Newton definitely should be in the MVP talk thus far, as should Rodgers. This could be a classic.