The Carolina Panthers made short work of the Carolina Panthers the last time the two teams met in the playoffs. Jonathan Stewart rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown and Cam Newton managed a pair of touchdown passes and both will be counted on to eliminate the Cardinals again when they meet in the NFC Championship on Sunday.

But this time, Carson Palmer won't be sitting on the sidelines watching a third string quarterback throw for just 82 total yards with a pair of interceptions. Ryan Lindley never should have been starting in a Wild Card playoff game, but he did just the same, and while being sacked four times and assisted by just 27 total rushing yards from the Cardinals, he offered little in the way of resistance as the Panthers punched their ticket into the Divisional Round.

Coming into this season, the goal for the Cardinals was clear: keep Palmer upright and protected. They have done that, and he's rewarded them with an incredible season and the second seed in the conference. Unfortunately, they're facing the top seed in the conference and so will have to travel to face to the Panthers, but the Cardinals are in great shape.

Palmer completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 4,671 yards with 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. He was sacked just 25 times, and the Cardinals only lost three games in the regular season. Palmer has been beat up here and there, but for the most part, the Cardinals accomplished their goal and Palmer rewarded them with a playoff berth.

Now he has a chance to reward them with a Super Bowl berth. The Cardinals were one of the more promising teams in the league before Palmer got hurt last year, and their loss to the Panthers was surprising even given Palmer's injury. The Panthers finished last season with a 7-8-1 record, but took a weak NFC South to earn a home game against Arizona.

This year, both teams are far better than they were when that game was played. Ron Rivera's Panthers were the best team of the regular season, losing only to the Atlanta Falcons and finishing with the top seed in the NFC and a 15-1 record. The game against the Falcons was definitely an outlier and the Panthers have looked unstoppable for much of the season.

They looked about the same when they took a 31-0 lead over the Seattle Seahawks into halftime in the Divisional Round. They were incredibly dominant, and the score only ended up so close because they took their foot off the pedal in the second half. They embarrassed a Seahawks team that looked unbeatable in previous weeks.

That same Seahawks team dominated the Cardinals from start to finish in Week 17. With seeding up for grabs, the Cardinals had nothing to offer the Seahawks and fell by multiple touchdowns. The Panthers did to the Seahawks what the Seahawks did to the Cardinals. That's not to say that the Panthers will definitely win, but they won't be short for confidence going into Sunday's game.

How to Watch

When:​ Sun., Jan. 24, 6:40 p.m. ET

Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte

TV: Fox

Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Online: Fox Sports Go

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