The Panthers’ 27-16 win over the Cardinals in the Wild Card Playoff on Saturday was as dominating as a defensive performance gets.The most eye-popping stat was Carolina held Arizona to 78 yards of offense, the fewest in NFL playoff history. It was a defensive effort reminiscent to 2005 when the Panthers shutout the Giants, 23-0. But Saturday’s win exceeded that contest in a handful of areas.A decade ago, the Panthers squashed New York primarily because quarterback Eli Manning threw three interceptions, and the Giants turned the ball over five times. Carolina’s defense made big plays and had to do little more because the offense held the ball for nearly three-quarters of the game. The Panthers ran more than twice as many plays as the Giants.Against Arizona, Carolina’s defense allowed only nine plays of more than five yards, and only four of those picked up 10 or more yards. Of 47 offensive snaps, the Cardinals gained no yards 15 times and lost yardage on nine occasions.The numbers keep getting worse the deeper you dig.The Cardinals had 15 rushes for 27 yards. The previous low for a Panthers’ opponent in a playoff game was the Giants’ 41 yards on the ground. Overall, the 27 yards is the third fewest Carolina has allowed during a single game. Arizona rushed three times for -1 yard in the second half.It didn’t get much better for the Cardinals through the air.Quarterback Ryan Lindley completed 16 passes for 51 yards and two interceptions. That makes Manning’s 113 passing yards look somewhat better in what had been the Panthers’ best-ever effort against the pass in the playoffs.Not surprisingly, based on the offenses’ numbers, Arizona punter Drew Butler was a busy man.His nine kicks were the most punts the Panthers have ever forced in a playoff game and the highest total for an opponent in any game since 2008.As good as Carolina’s defense was, the offense had a solid game too.While the Panthers committed two turnovers, they piled up 386 total yards, their sixth-highest tally of the season. 188 of those yards came on the ground, which was their fourth-highest total of the year. The Panthers ended up outgaining the Cardinals by 308 yards. Incredibly, the Carolina offense failed to gain 308 yards in three of its games this season.Now the Panthers will face either Seattle or Green Bay. The Seahawks finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in rushing and overall defense. The Packers were tops in points scored, winning all eight of their games at Lambeau Field. Both beat the Panthers during the regular year.After stymieing the Cardinals and re-writing a handful of records, the Panthers now face a much stiffer test with a trip the NFC Championship on the line.