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[tab_nav type=”three-up” float=”none”][tab_nav_item title=”KEEPING CARDINALS IN IT” active=”true”][tab_nav_item title=”FALLING APART AND BEHIND”][tab_nav_item title=”TURNING POINT”][tab_nav_item title=”BACK IN FRONT”][tab_nav_item title=”SPECIAL TEAMS FINALLY SPECIAL”][tab_nav_item title=”DOMINANT DEFENSE SHUTS DOOR”][/tab_nav][tabs][tab active=”true”]The Cardinals came into Saturday’s Wild Card game against the Panthers as a hot mess. Not only were they down to their third-string quarterback, but they hadn’t been able to run or stop the run for the better part of the last two months. It was hard to find ways they could win. It was easier to imagine ways the Panthers could lose, and they certainly did their best to do just that in the first half.Up 10-0, the Panthers were poised to get the ball back late in the first quarter. But when receiver/returner Brenton Bersin  botched a punt return, the door swung open for the Cardinals. Six plays later, an Arizona touchdown made it a three-point game.Despite the mistake, coach Ron Rivera expressed confidence in Bersin afterward, and his teammates came to his defense as well.“It was a bad break,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “He was trying to get guys away from the ball. The ball kind of bounced funny. He found himself too close to it, so I think he said, ‘I might as well just try to recover it. I’m not going to get out of the way in time.’ And it took a bad bounce.”Besides the botch, Bersin had a couple adventurous moments while hauling in fair catches. But something that could help explain his troubles was how poor Cardinals punter Drew Butler was. He averaged just 34.8 yards on nine kicks, and his short punts may have posed more of a challenge for Bersin.“To be honest, the punter was having a bad day,” receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. “The way he was punting the ball, [Bersin] was like, ‘Ok, where do I line up? I normally line up at 45 yards, and this guy’s shanking it 30 yards. I’ve got to run up and get it.'””Plus it’s foggy the whole night. A whole lot goes into it, but you just have to move on from it.”[/tab][tab]Cotchery was later involved in Carolina’s biggest offensive mistake of the night.With 5:52 left in the second quarter, the Panthers were set up at the Arizona 34-yard line after a 31-yard punt by Butler. It was another golden opportunity eventually wasted.On third down from the 37, Cotchery was sent on a shallow crossing route. Before he got into it, he chipped a blitzing defender, and when he started making his way across the field, he ran into a linebacker. Just as he broke free, quarterback Cam Newton fired. Cotchery had no clue he was the intended receiver.The pass ended up in the hands of cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who was eventually knocked out of bounds by Newton at the Panthers’ 17.“I looked back, and I can’t even see Cam. So I never knew that he even threw the ball,” Cotchery explained. “I’m like, how did [Cromartie] get the ball? I’m trying to weave my way through all of the traffic, and I’m looking for Cam and I never saw him release the ball. The next thing you know, Cromartie’s running with it.”Less than two minutes later, the Cardinals scored their second touchdown of the second quarter. Even though the Panthers dominated the first half in first downs (16-6) and total yards (208-65), their two turnovers gifted Arizona a stunning 14-13 halftime lead.[/tab][tab]After receiving the second-half kickoff, the Panthers ran 12 plays, taking up the first 7:31 of the third quarter. When the drive stalled at the Cardinals’ 37, Rivera could have called on kicker Graham Gano for a long field goal attempt. Instead, Carolina’s coach opted to play the field-position game.Brad Nortman, who dropped three of his four punts inside the 20, had his kick fair caught by Cardinals returner Ted Ginn at the Arizona 8. On third-and-10, Cardinals quarterback Ryan Lindley floated a pass toward receiver Michael Floyd on the left sideline. It appeared cornerback Josh Norman grabbed a piece of Floyd before the ball fell harmlessly out of bounds. Incredulous a flag wasn’t thrown on the play, the Arizona sideline exploded.“I think everyone saw it except for the guys in the striped shirts,” coach Bruce Arians said when asked about the no-call.The Cardinals were forced to punt, and another 31-yarder from Butler gave the Panthers great field position yet again.[/tab][tab]

[gap size=”10px”]The Panthers started their drive from the Cardinals’ 39, and this time, they took advantage.On first down, Newton dropped off a screen pass to backup running back Fozzy Whittaker, a play that was supposed to go to the right side. But after Whittaker cut left and tackle Byron Bell finished off cornerback Patrick Peterson 20 yards down the field, Whittaker walked in to put the Panthers back in front.“It was a great play call from coach upstairs. He saw something and decided he wanted to run that play,” Whittaker said. “When I caught the pass I had already watched the defense this way so all I had to do was run the other way and that made it easy. Big Bryon Bell sealed the edge and it was a great play.”The play was Whittaker’s biggest of the season, both in yards and importance. It was also a continuation of his surprising story.Unemployed at the start of training camp, Whittaker was signed the day after sixth-round running back Tyler Gaffney injured his knee in late July. While Gaffney was eventually lost on waiver to the Patriots, Whittaker has whittled himself a nice little role in Carolina.“I definitely can believe this because that is who I am. I have always believed in myself, and being a part of this organization and this family is truly a blessing. I don’t take it lightly and I don’t take it for granted,” Whittaker said.[/tab][tab]

[gap size=”10px”]After Whittaker’s touchdown, the ensuing kickoff sailed nine yards into the end zone, but Ginn decided to bring it out. That wasn’t a wise decision.Ginn, who didn’t fumble away any of his returns with the Panthers last season, was met at the Cardinals’ 8-yard line by backup cornerback Melvin White. When the ball came loose, linebacker Kevin Reddick eventually pounced on it inside the 5.“I took a chance. It’s part of the game. That’s what you do. You try to make plays,” Ginn said. “It just didn’t work well for me.”While Ginn made two mistakes on the play, credit also needs to go to Carolina’s maligned special teams coach Richard Rodgers.White usually hangs back as a safety on kickoffs. On that one, Rodgers switched it up, keeping quarterback/receiver Joe Webb back as a safety, while White ran forward. When the confused Cardinals failed to block him, he had a clean shot at Ginn.White lost a starting job at corner twice this year, and he’s mostly been a special teamer the last two months. Previously, the biggest play of his career came in last year’s season finale when, as a rookie, he returned an interception for a touchdown in the Panthers’ NFC South-clinching win against the Falcons.When asked if Saturday’s strip was now at the top of his list, White replied: “Oh, most definitely. Most definitely. Anytime you can make a game-changing play in the postseason, it’s tremendous.”[/tab][tab]

[gap size=”10px”]The Panthers turned Ginn’s fumble into a one-yard touchdown pass from Newton to fullback Mike Tolbert. In a span of exactly two minutes — from the Norman no-call to Tolbert’s touchdown — Carolina went from down one to up 27-14. The Cardinals ran just six plays in the third quarter, losing three yards in the process.While much of the outside attention this week focused on who would start at quarterback for Arizona, the Panthers’ main priority was to stop the run.Lindley wasn’t good, but the Cardinals’ run game was even worse. They lost one yard on three second-half carries, and for the game, they totaled 27 yards on 15 attempts. It was the third-fewest rushing yards the Panthers have ever allowed, and the fewest since they gave up just 26 to the Falcons on 1/1/06.“The first thing we knew we had to do was to stop the run. We had to do that early, and once they started throwing the ball, I think coaches put a good game plan together that allowed us to take away some of their stars and let us get after the pass,” linebacker Luke Kuechly said. “I think the guys up front did an exceptional job of rushing the passer and putting pressure on the quarterback.”Without a run game to worry about, the Panthers’ line teed off on Lindley in the second half, piling up four sacks and hitting him at least four other times.While Rivera admitted Carolina “caught them at a good time,” it’s still highly impressive the Cardinals were limited to just two first downs and 13 yards in the final two quarters.“We know who we are, we’re the Carolina Panthers defense. Menacing. We’re stifling, and we’re going to get after you,” Norman said. “When we know there’s blood in the water, them sharks, they gonna go eat.”

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