Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is probably going to be the MVP of the NFL this season. But while the Arizona Cardinals have talked about Newton and his playmaking abilities, they seem to be more focused on other parts of the offense rather than stopping Cam himself.

Bruce Arians say running back Jonathan Stewart "is about as good as it gets," and that fullback Mike Tolbert also adds an important element to the running game. Rather than dynamism, he brings physicality. "When you run it with a guy like him, you're not looking for 30 yards," he said. "You're looking for five physical ones, and that's what they do."

That success in the running game is what feeds their success in the passing game, where the Cardinals have raved about their play-action passing.

"They do a great job in play action and they're pushing it up the field," Arians said. "They are throwing a lot of hitches or short things. They're going to run the ball for that stuff and when they're throwing it, they're looking for chunks."

The one man to focus on is tight end Greg Olsen. He caught 77 passes for over 1100 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Arians said Olsen "is their focal point" offensively. If you can contain him, you contain the offense. "If we take him out of the game, that's about 47 percent (of their passing game)," Arians explained. "That's our goal. It's hard to do, though."

Arians hasn't talked much about Newton himself as the weapon, other than the way he throws. Arizona is not focusing on stopping him. It is stopping the things around him that make him so good. Stop the running game and play action isn't effective. Focus on Greg Olsen and then he has a mediocre group of receivers where Ted Ginn is the biggest threat.

If Arizona limits the running game and can keep Olsen under control, that is how you stop Carolina. No one has really been able to do it, so it will be tough task. But it isn't about stopping Cam. It is taking his weapons away.