Looking at Arizona

[pstall]

Their defense has given up yards, but they're top 5 in PTS allowed per game. We struggle in the redzone and they excel in the redzone. Not sure if FGs will win us this game or not, but that's why we're worried about their D.

Bingo. Which means from the 25-40 on the Cards side of the field we need to have some scores.

[gettlemanjack]

"the Arizoma defense, once the backbone of the team, is coming off its two worst performances of the season. Those games came against athletic, mobile quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick - and Arizona faces another one in Cam Newton when the Cardinals play at Carolina in a wild card game on Saturday.

...

In the last two games, the Cardinals allowed 596 yards against Seattle and 395 to San Francisco. Wilson ran for 88 yards in six carries, Kaepernick 63 yards in seven attempts. Arizona, among the league leaders in run defense most of the season, allowed 267 yards on the ground against the Seahawks and 206 against the 49ers .

...

Carolina (7-8-1) opened as a 4 1/2-point favorite against 11-5 Arizona."

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/lindley-improves-defense-falters-for-arizona-122914

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Arizona's total defense is bad but their run defense is actually decent (though it's usually poor against teams with dual threat QB's), it's their pass defense that is terrible.

This might be one of those games where Cam puts up pretty big numbers.

[PanthersAlv]

Arizona's total defense is bad but their run defense is actually decent (though it's usually poor against teams with dual threat QB's), it's their pass defense that is terrible.

This might be one of those games where Cam puts up pretty big numbers.

 

This.

Looking it over, and knowing they are good at stopping the run, but not nearly as good at pass coverage. I think if the Panthers start out playing the pass, and work the Run in, opening it up that way, they can wear the Cards Defense down as the game goes on.

I'm not saying Stew and Tolbert are Gore and Lynch. But, wear they down early with long drives using short passes to eat the clock up, along with Pounding the ball with Toldozer and JStew... I think that can be accomplished.

Just old on to the dam ball!!

 

[CRA]

I don't know if this has been posted so I'll just put it here. An interview with Coach Arians.

Arians also added he feels very comfortable with defending our WRs after he gave KB a little praise.

[gettlemanjack]

Suddenly, it's not necessarily the quarterback position that concerns the Cardinals as they prepare for Saturday's NFC wild-card game at the Carolina Panthers. It's their defense and, specifically, their inability to stop the run

That used to be not only the strength of the Cardinals' defense, but the very hallmark in 2014. In the past month and a half, however, their best attribute has been one of their worst.

Want proof? In their first 10 games, the Cardinals allowed only one team to rush for 100 or more yards against them. That came in Week 8 against the Eagles, who ran for 110 in 24-20 loss to the Cardinals.

In their past six games, though, they've allowed the five highest rushing totals this season. In Weeks 12 and 13, it was 124 yards to the Seahawks and 142 to the Falcons. In Week 14, it was 126 to the Chiefs. And the past two weeks, it was a staggering 267 to the Seahawks and 206 to the 49ers. Not surprisingly, the Cardinals lost four out of those six games.

And now here they are getting ready to face a Panthers team that may be only 7-8-1, but has averaged 195 rushing yards the past five weeks, in which they have gone 4-1.

Add it up, and the math doesn't look so good for the 11-5 Cardinals

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2014/12/29/arizona-cardinals-drew-stanton-update-ryan-lindley/21012197/