NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
NO. 2 CARDS AT NO. 1 PANTHERS
6:40 p.m., Sunday, Ch. 5, Panthers by 3, 47.5
The Cardinals made Aaron Rodgers’ second Hail Mary miracle of the season irrelevant by striking quick in overtime. The Panthers made mincemeat out of the Seahawks, going up 31-0 at halftime before holding off Seattle’s second-half comeback. Now the NFC title game pits the two teams who were clearly the best in the conference throughout the season against one another. Which team will get another crack at it?
CARDINALS’ KEYS TO VICTORY
1. Smarter Palmer. A couple of poor decisions by Carson Palmer nearly doomed Arizona against the Packers last weekend. He threw two interceptions for the third time this year, the only three games he’s had more than one. The first time he did it Arizona lost to Pittsburgh. The second time the Cards needed a late field goal to beat Cincinnati. 2. Revive the run game. The Cards had just 40 rushing yards on 19 attempts against the Packers. David Johnson rushed 15 times for 35 yards, though he did have six catches for 43 yards. He needs to have a better game on the ground. 3. Get Michael Floyd more involved. If the Panthers give extra attention to Fitzgerald, Floyd will need to have a big game. He had two touchdowns last week but only had three catches for 26 yards. 4. Shut down Greg Olsen. Assuming Patrick Peterson covers and contains Ted Ginn, who did nothing last week and has a knee problem, put an extra body on Olsen and force Cam Newton to throw to one of his less proven receivers.
PANTHERS’ KEYS TO VICTORY
1. Quit playing with fire. The game doesn’t end at halftime. Carolina let up against the Giants after opening a huge lead and saw its lead disappear before pulling out the win. The Panthers nearly blew it against Seattle on Sunday. 2. Clamp down on Larry Fitzgerald. This is tricky considering top cornerback Josh Norman doesn’t play the slot, which is where Fitz operates from roughly half the time. 3. Collapse the pocket. The Panthers sacked Russell Wilson five times on Sunday and had 14 quarterback hits. Need more of that. 4. Run Cam Run. Jonathan Stewart looked terrific coming back from a foot injury on Sunday. But Newton didn’t contribute to the run game at all, something he did nearly every week during the regular season. If he picks up some chunks with his legs, it opens up the whole offense. TASCH’S TONIC: These two seemed destined to meet in the conference title game, and the way things were looking in the second half of the season, I thought for sure the Cardinals would win such a matchup. Their play against the Packers gives me pause. Carson Palmer made his share of great throws, but nearly cost Arizona with his interceptions and a few other throws that almost turned into turnovers. The Cards also allowed Jeff Janis to look like an All-Pro receiver. Carolina seemed to take its foot off the gas after opening up a huge lead against Seattle, but the Panthers so often find ways to win — especially at home, where they’re 9-0 this season.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Panthers and the over