![\"Yes,](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/NFC-Championship-2.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>Yes, there is another game on Sunday.<\/p><\/div>\n
Arizona @ Carolina, Sunday 6:40 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n Line:\u00a0 Carolina -3, O\/U 48<\/p>\n The final game before the Super Bowl, although you have to wonder:\u00a0 does anyone care?\u00a0 With the raging hard-on that everyone (the league, the media, even Roid Rage) has for the Brady\/Manning showdown, will there be anything left in the tank after the collective money shot that gets dropped during the early game?\u00a0 Well, I\u2019m here to tell you to take a blue pill and get back on that horse, there\u2019s still work to do.<\/p>\n Carolina and Arizona are pretty evenly matched.\u00a0 They rank 1st and 2nd in overall offense, and 6th and 7th in overall defense.\u00a0 Need more proof?\u00a0 How about Cam and Carson.\u00a0 Each threw 35 tds during the regular season, and were one int apart (10 to 11 in favor of Cam).\u00a0 And both have fast, aggressive defenses.\u00a0 On paper, this game\u2019s a toss-up, and with Carolina at home and only giving 3 points, the odds makers seem to agree as well.\u00a0 So who wins?<\/p>\n What? A superstar that interacts with AND cares about the fans? Suck it, Brady!<\/p><\/div>\n Despite being the old man on this website (seriously, what the hell is dabbing?\u00a0 Roid Rage won\u2019t tell me) I\u2019m embracing youth and rolling with the Panthers.\u00a0 For several reasons.\u00a0 First, they haven\u2019t lost at home all year.\u00a0 A perfect 8-0 (9-0 including last week\u2019s playoff win).\u00a0 Second, Cam Newton is no longer just an \u201cathletic\u201d quarterback.\u00a0 He\u2019s a bona fide stud.\u00a0 Sure, he\u2019s brash, obnoxious, and wears questionable clothing (see below), but so do all kids.\u00a0 Cam has grown right before our eyes this year, and so have the Panthers.\u00a0 This was most evident last week against Seattle.\u00a0 The Panthers jumped out to a commanding 31-0 lead, and then held on to win 31-24.\u00a0 The Panthers won despite Cam not having a great game.\u00a0 He only threw for 161 yards with one touchdown, and rushed for a season low 3 yards.\u00a0 And his touchdown came after they were already up 24-0.\u00a0 But while his stats weren\u2019t that amazing (sorry, completion percentage doesn\u2019t wow me), he didn\u2019t do anything to hurt his team (e.g. drive killing interceptions). \u00a0And, he makes everyone around him better. \u00a0That\u2019s the mark of a true leader and a complete team.<\/p>\n What. The. Fuck.<\/p><\/div>\n The Cardinals, meanwhile, are no slouch, but you get the feeling that they\u2019re playing with house money at this point.\u00a0 They are lucky to be playing on Sunday.\u00a0 They did everything they could do to lose last week.\u00a0 Carson Palmer threw not one, but two endzone interceptions, and it should have been 3.\u00a0 He looked lost out there, and Arizona\u2019s defense completely collapsed, especially during Green Bay\u2019s final drive that had not one, but two Hail Marys.\u00a0 However, Arizona only needed one man to show up:\u00a0 Larry Fitzgerald.\u00a0 Larry reminded us in a big way that he\u2019s still got it\u2026hauling in 12 passes for 176 yards and a game winning overtime touchdown.\u00a0 For Arizona to have any chance, Larry will have to bring his A game once again.<\/p>\n Still got it.<\/p><\/div>\n On defense, Carolina will shadow Larry with Josh Norman, and will sit back and dare Arizona to run the ball.\u00a0 Losing Jared Allen will hurt Carolina up front, but second year stud Kony Ealy is up to the task to slide in as the starting DE.\u00a0 And don\u2019t forget about Luke Kuechly.\u00a0 Fresh off last week\u2019s pick 6, Luke will be all over the field.<\/p>\n Paging regular season Carson.<\/p><\/div>\n For Arizona to win, they will need to play perfect football\u2026and even that may not be enough.\u00a0 This game comes down to who do you trust more:\u00a0 Carson Palmer or Cam Newton?\u00a0 Or, better phrased, playoff Carson Palmer or Cam Newton?\u00a0 After watching the Cardinals last week, we just don\u2019t trust playoff Carson Palmer.\u00a0 The Panthers play with the perfect blend of carefree attitude and focus.\u00a0 This game will be close, but our money\u2019s on Carolina to pull away in the end. \u00a0Get ready to see a lot of this, whatever it is:<\/p>\n Prediction<\/strong>:\u00a0 Carolina 31, Arizona 20<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Arizona @ Carolina, Sunday 6:40 pm Line:\u00a0 Carolina -3, O\/U 48 The final game before the Super Bowl, although you have to wonder:\u00a0 does anyone care?\u00a0 With the raging hard-on that everyone (the league, the media, even Roid Rage) … Continue reading <\/a>Seriously, all the talk this week is about the Patriots and Broncos.\u00a0 As if I need another reason to hate Tom Brady or ESPN.\u00a0 And, not for nothing, but the NFC Championship game features the better teams.\u00a0 Both Arizona and Carolina have better records than\u00a0Denver and New England (Christ, the Panthers are 15-1), better defenses, and better quarterbacks.\u00a0 Sorry, but this isn\u2019t 2004.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take (league MVP) Cam Newton and healthy Carson Palmer over aging Tom Brady and noodle neck Peyton Manning.\u00a0 Anyway, let\u2019s get to the real game.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n