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Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers NFL Betting Odds & Spread

Written January 8, 2009 by Jason Lowry

Panthers Cardinals Football

This Saturday the Carolina Panthers will look to stay perfect at home this season when they take on the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. The Panthers finished the season 12-4 as they took home the NFC South division, while the Cardinals had it pretty easy out in the West, as they won a very weak division, as they finished the season 9-7. The Cardinals surprisingly used a little bit of a running game and some great defense to take down the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 at home last week. These two teams played back in week 8 with the Panthers winning at home 27-23. For those of you looking to do some NFL betting on the big game this weekend, the oddsmakers have the Panthers 10 point favorites over the Cardinals at BetUS.com.

We already mentioned that the Cardinals used a rushing attack to help them win last week, as Edgerrin James continued to run well, as he racked up 73 yards on just 16 carries, and was a big part of a couple of the Cardinals scoring drives. Kurt Warner was pretty good throwing for 271 yards, including touchdown strikes to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, as these two guys combined to haul in 8 catches for 173 yards. Last time against the Panthers Warner had a big day throwing for 381 yards and 2 scores, but they were unable to run the football, as Boldin was the leading rusher with 1 carry for 30 yards. James will likely play a huge role in whether the Cardinals can pull of the huge upset this weekend, and Warner has to take care of the football.

The Cardinals defense wasn’t suppose to be able to stop the Falcons offense last week, but instead they held Michael Turner to just 42 yards on 18 carries and allowed Matt Ryan to throw for just 199 yards with 2 interceptions, but the biggest play came on a botched fumble by Ryan early in the 3rd that landed in the hands of Antrel Rolle, who took it 27 yards for a touchdown. The key against the Panthers is stopping the run, and last time against the Panthers they did a pretty good job as they held the Panthers to just 113 yards, but they have really picked up their running game to close the season. Bet Arizona Cardinals +10 at BetUS.com.

The Carolina Panthers come in with one of the most dangerous running back duos in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, as the two backs combined for 2,351 yards and 28 touchdowns. Williams had the better season running for 1,515 yards and 18 touchdowns, and considering this guy had just 525 yards and 3 touchdowns during the first 8 games of the season, its easy to see how much better this guy has got in the final 8 games. The Panthers also need Jake Delhomme to make sure he keeps the ball secure, as he had 15 touchdowns to 12 interceptions this season, and when Delhomme has success its usually to star receiver Steve Smith, who led the team with 78 catches for 1,421 yards and 6 touchdowns. Smith was huge last time against the Cardinals catching 5 balls for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns.

If the Panthers are able to hold on and win this game, its going to be a the defense that plays a huge role in them doing so, as they have to keep Warner and company in check, as they have proven they can pass on anybody, including the Panthers this season. The Panthers bring a pretty good unit into this one, led by the play of defensive end Julius Peppers and linebacker Jon Beason. Peppers led the Panthers with 14.5 sacks, and Beason was a tackling machine leading the way with 138 tackles and tied with corner Chris Gamble for a team best 3 interceptions. Bet Carolina Panthers -10 at BetUS.com.

Lowry’s Lean on the Game: Cardinals +10
I have a pretty scary feeling that the Cardinals are going to come out and play much better than everyone expects, and the fact they are getting 10 points makes them an even more enticing pick. I think that the Cardinals can score just along with the Panthers, as the focus of their defense is stopping the run, where the Cardinals pass more than anybody in the NFL.

Predicted Score: Panthers 27 Cardinals 23

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