CHARLOTTE – The Carolina Panthers opened their postseason last year with a home victory over the Arizona Cardinals in a Wild Card Playoff.
The goal now is to avoid this year's postseason run ending with a home loss to a Cardinals team that's more dangerous than the one Carolina contained last January.
"You can't go into a game like this saying, ‘This is what we did to them last year,'" head coach Ron Rivera said. "This is a different quarterback, somebody who I think is a terrific football player." The Cardinals were among the NFC's best a year ago but limped into the playoffs with starting quarterback Carson Palmer sidelined by a knee injury.