CHARLOTTE – Throughout the Panthers' surprising 1-5 start to the season, the talking points have been plentiful.
But only the points on the scoreboard count.
"We don't need any messages. We're out of things that need to be said," quarterback Cam Newton said. "We're out of big rah-rah speeches. We've got to win – that's it."
When the NFL schedule came out six-plus months ago, the Week 8 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals was considered one of the marquee games on it, a rematch of last season's NFC Championship won convincingly by the Panthers.