The Cardinals are on a strange sort of roller coaster. When everyone thinks they’re good, they play poorly. When everyone thinks they’re bad, they make us all look stupid. (Or, as in our specific case, stupider than usual.)
So after they did what they couldn’t do last year — win in the Meadowlands — many thought that the Cardinals were ready to contend again for the NFC title.
And then they lost at home to one of the worst teams in the conference.
When these franchises last met in the 2008 playoffs, Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme coughed up six turnovers. This time around, Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner dressed up like Delhomme for Halloween, with five picks and a lost fumble of his own.
Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers was responsible for two of them. He returned an interception for a touchdown — and he forced a fumble via a sack of Warner.
“Man, what can you say about Julius Peppers?” linebacker Thomas Davis
said. “He went out and played like Julius Peppers and
came away with two huge turnovers at key points in the game. All of the
naysayers and people that are saying this and that about Julius
Peppers, well you can say what you want about him, but we love him.” (Actually, we don’t need to say anything about Peppers — Panthers linebacker Jon Beason recently said it all.)
On offense, the Panthers did the next best thing to benching Delhomme: They quit using him as much.
The veteran threw only 14 passes, completing seven for 90 yards, a touchdown, and (amazingly) no interceptions. Carolina instead focused on its running game, getting 158 yards on 23 carries from DeAngelo Williams and 87 yards on 17 carries (with two touchdowns) from Jonathan Stewart.
So the 4-3 Cardinals blew a chance to open up a two-game lead over the 49ers in the NFC West, and Arizona now travels to the city where the team was founded — Chicago — for a game against a 4-3 Bears team that got back on the right track after handling the Browns on Sunday.
The Panthers continue to face a crippling schedule the rest of the way, with only one clear opportunity for a win remaining. But they also were supposed to lose on Sunday in Arizona, and if they can keep coming up in tough circumstances, they might just save John Fox’s job.
Despite suffering a chest injury on Sunday, it appears that Delhomme won’t miss any starts.
But as the Panthers proved in Arizona, the smaller his role, the better they play.
and who knows, jake may rebuild his confidence and performance just in time for the playoffs.
2 years ago when jake was out, the panthers played some run heavy games, one in particular.
“one of the worst teams in the conference.”
With the best statistical pass defense in the NFL. Write that down next time please.
Bring on the Aints!
Panthers are one of the ‘worst teams in the conference’?
Get it right, florio! The panthers are ‘mediocre’.
And so are the cardinals.
Panthers are easily better than the Rams, Lions, Bucs, Seahawks, and the Deadskins (nice superbowl pick there), so I wouldn’t call them one of the worst teams in the NFC at all
Florio you are stupid. The “one of the worst team in the conference” just destoryed last years NFC Champion, gained 270 yards rushing against the best run defense in the NFL, and shutdown one of the best offensives in the NFL. If you watch the game, which every one knows you didnt, you would have saw that the victory was no fluke. I think every one in the league knows, besides you, that if we can get a stable QB we are still a team to be reckon with. Jake didnt help us yesterday but he didnt hurt us and look at what happen we beat a team that will mostly likely repeat as NFC West Champions.
We’re mediocre and underachievers at worst….not close to worst team in confrence. Id still take the 3-4 panthers over the 6-1 Broncos anyday….
“And then they lost at home to one of the worst teams in the conference.”
…and yet with idiotic statements like that, we continue to keep reading quite possibly the worst sports writers in the business. Florio, what the crap? Maybe one of the lesser known teams in the conference, but with a stout defense and one of the best rushing attacks in the league (remember 12-4 just last year?), just admit what we all know– you know nothing other than what your boss dictates for you to type. You know nothing about the Panthers.
I’d kinda like to see someone just sit and ridicule you and the job you do (and suck at) the way you just ridiculed the Panthers. Oh wait, that’s what we all do already on here…
Chuckles,
The Panthers are terrible. The Cards just picked a bad day to have a bad day. I dont think Carolina wins more than 2 games the rest of the year.
Cheers
“And then they lost at home to one of the worst teams in the conference.”
I love it when the underdog gets kicked a little bit more even after a convincing win.
That statement in quotes just goes to show what type of intelligence it takes to be a sports writer.
How much did NBC pay you for your website, Florio?
Hey crevice-
The Cards are a facade, a fluke team that is a flash in the pan. 9-7 last year in the worst division in football? You couldn’t win outside your own division dude, but 12-4 in one of the toughest divisions last year says something. Barely eeking by in a terrible division says something too, you got lucky rooting for a team that’s in the desert. Too bad we don’t get to play Arizona anymore this season…
Man just imagine if New Orleans rolls Atl tonight, then if we show up and took out New Orleans, we’d be right back in the mix for wild card. Hey, a guy can dream…but ATL isn’t playing so good so they’ll probably drop one tonight, and we seem to finally be coming together here…what a great time of year this is when hope is still alive.
Cardinals will pull out the win on the road, simply because nobody will expect them too.