How the Arizona Cardinals match-up with: the Carolina Panthers (Week 8)

July 16, 10:47 PMArizona Cardinals ExaminerKrag Klages

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Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers 

Week 8 - @Arizona, University of Phoenix Stadium
Sunday, Nov. 1, 4:15 PM ET, FOX

All-time series: Carolina 6 - Arizona 3
Last 10 games: Carolina 6 - Arizona 3

Interesting Stat: The Panthers had outscored the Cardinals 131-80 since 2003 up until last years postseason match-up when Arizona won (when it counted) 33-13.

Quarterback
Panthers - Jake Delhomme is the hands-down starter for this Carolina team, though some fans were calling for his head after the last game he played against the Cardinals.  Obviously, Arizona hopes to repeat that performance here at home.  But overall, in my mind, Delhomme is a pretty solid option behind center and I don't think he's going anywhere soon.  Behind him is the all too familiar Josh McGown, who is talented, but dumb as bricks, and the young and inexperienced Matt Moore who has a career quarterback rating of 67.  If you're a Panthers fan, just pray Delhomme doesn't go down before this game, or the Panthers have no chance.
Cardinals - Kurt Warner has been there done that, so Carolina won't have anything to throw at him that he hasn't seen.  I want to reiterate again just how good he is at home.  Though Warner has had his troubles against Carolina, I don't see him having a hiccup on his home turf.  Carolina will have to score a lot of points to win this game, because Warner won't be stopped very often.
Edge: Cardinals, though both quarterbacks can have their streaks of mistakes.

Running Back
Panthers - This will be an interesting game if Chris "Beanie" Wells is healthy and running strong because DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are what Wells and Tim Hightower are trying to become (and may have already become by the time this game rolls around).  This is the part of the Carolina offense that scares me the most.  These two backs are both dangerous and either one can break a long gain at any time.  And if Mike Goodson, a draft pick out of Texas A&M, steps up, they'll even have depth if one of the two horsemen go down for a period of time.  Every team in the league is envious of this group of backs and rightly so - if the Cardinals can't stop these two, time of possession will be in Carolina's favor and they will probably win this game.
Cardinals - This will be a very interesting storyline if "Lean" and "Mean" are clicking by the time the Cardinals play the Panthers since the two running back tandems are so similar.  That said, Wells and Hightower haven't proven a thing, whereas Williams and Stewart are accomplished backs with a great track record.  The Cardinals have an upper-hand, however, if the run games both go soft, since they can easily recover through the air...they have been one-dimensional before and have succeeded.
Edge: Panthers, since they have one of the best running back tandems in the NFL.

Wide Receiver
Panthers - Carolina is one of the few teams in the NFL that may rival the Cardinals at this position.  Steve Smith and Larry Fitzgerald are similar enough, Muhsin Muhammad and Anquan Boldin are comparable, and Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Breaston are fairly even.  It's almsot scary actually, and if Delhomme has his head screwed on straight in this game, there could be a whole lot of touchdowns through the air.
Cardinals - As stated above, both teams are pretty even three men deep, but I think the main match-up where the Cardinals win the battle is Muhammad vs. Boldin.  Though both are great receivers, if I switch the players, I think Boldin helps Smith more than Muhammad helps Fitzgerald, hence Boldin being the stronger receiver overall.  Splitting hairs?  maybe.  But it may be enough to give the Cardinals that one extra touchdown they need to win.
Edge: Cardinals, but very very close.

Tight End
Panthers - Dante Rosario and Jeff King averaged 13.1 and 12.2 yards per game, respectively.  Though that's better than the best Cardinal, that's still not saying much.  The Panthers have some work to do here.  I expect King to be the head-honcho with Rosario close behind, but I don't think there will be a whole lot of improvement this year.  Fortunately for the Panthers, and different from the Cardinals, these tight ends can also block.
Cardinals - As close as the Panthers are to the Cardinals at wide receiver, the Cardinals are almost as close to the Panthers at tight end.  Neither team has great big men to catch the ball and both teams could use a boost.  The Cardinals have nowhere to go but up at this position, which is the good news - they should at least improve over last year.
Edge: Panthers, but close and that's not saying much for Carolina.

Offensive Line
Panthers - This offensive line is as solid as they come.  The Cardinals will have just come off of a hard-fought battle with another great offensive line in the New York Giants, and one week later they will have to face what is arguably as good a unit.  It won't be easy.  Though depth could be an issue if injuries take their toll, if everyone is intact, there will be running lanes open and Delhomme should have plenty of time to throw.  That doesn't always guarantee a good throw since it's Delhomme, but it won't be the offensive line's fault, that's for sure.
Cardinals - It's very refreshing for me to even be able to compare this line to the likes of Carolina and the New York Giants.  Though they're not quite at those two teams' level, they're close...and this could be the year they get there.  Give Warner time to throw and create some openings for "Beanie" and there may be a repeat Super Bowl appearance in their future.
Edge: Panthers, but by the time this game rolls around, I may have changed my mind.

Defensive Line
Panthers - Lots to talk about here, but I'll try and keep it brief.  Though Julus Peppers didn't get a long-term deal, he will be playing as hard as anyone to make sure he does make his money come the end of the season, so expect more of the same from him.  The rest of line is a little soft against the run (although that doesn't always matter much when you play the Cardinals), but picking up Everette Brown from Florida State in the first round of the draft doesn't hurt a bit.  He adds depth to an average-to-very good defensive line.
Cardinals - Darnell Dockett shouldn't let his contract woes hurt his game at all, either.  Same as Peppers, it could even help as he plays his hardest to prove he deserves the payday.  Alongside Bertrand Berry, these two can cause some havoc for quarterbacks and running backs alike.  If Calais Campbell finally plays up to his potential this year, look out...this line will be deep and mean.
Edge: Cardinals, Peppers is the best player on the field, but until I see Brown prove himself, the Cardinals still have the better full unit.

Linebacker
Panthers - Jon Beason and Thomas Davis anchor a very good group of linebackers for Carolina.  If Dan Connor can step-up this year and help relieve (and maybe even replace) the aging Na'il Diggs, this could be a position of tremendous strength.  The only department this unit could improve upon is pressure on the quarterback, though if Peppers and Brown are taking care of business, it shouldn't matter much.
Cardinals - Karlos Dansby, much like Darnell Dockett, is playing for a big payday at the end of the season, so his motor will be running heavy every single game.  Expect his playmaking to be even more brutal this year, which spells trouble for offenses.  Alongside him will be fumble-master Gerald Hayes and hopefully the rookie, Cody Brown.  Even Will Davis, who was drafted as a lineman, could help out here at linebacker if he makes the transition smoothly.
Edge: Panthers, though both teams are heavy-hitters.

Secondary
Panthers - Seeing this as one of their weaker positions, Carolina attacked it head-on in the draft.  They picked up Sherrod Martin out of Troy in the second round and Captain Munnerlyn (an awesome name) from South Carolina in the seventh.  A lot of media pundits are coming down hard on the Panthers secondary, but I don't think they're quite as bad as they're being made out to be.  Chris Gamble is still a solid cover corner and Richard Marshall can still play.  I am not very high on the safeties and I think next year, this is an area where Carolina drafts early, but the unit as a whole isn't horrible and they are improving.
Cardinals - Much like the Panthers, the Cardinals secondary will be improving.  I can say that because they can't get worse (they were 32nd in passing yards allowed last year).  But seriously, the Cardinals also answered this position in the offseason, not just in draft picks, but in a pivotal free agent pick-up in Darren McFadden from the Pittsburgh Steelers.  As I've said in past articles, I expect this group to be in the top 15 in the country when this season's over.
Edge: Cardinals, even with their inexperience, they hit harder than any team in the league and could be the most improved unit in the NFL.

Special Teams
Panthers - Even though John Kasay only made one field goal over 50 yards, he did make 90% of his kicks, which I'll take any day of the weak.  Jason Baker will remain their punter - he's nothing special, but he's better than what the Cardinals have (which is nothing).  As for kick and punt returns, everything points to Ryne Robinson doing all the work even though he missed the entire 2008 season with an injury.
Cardinals - Ben Graham is the Cardinals answer to punter, which is not really an answer at all (who knows, after all of my ranting, maybe he'll turn out to be a phenomenal punter - here's to hoping).  Apart from that, the Cardinals are in pretty good shape.  Neil Rackers is a consistent field goal kicker (and does a pretty good onside kick as well) and the return game has so many options right now, I'm just excited to see who will step up to take it.
Edge: Draw, punter goes to Carolina, field goals is a draw, and kick returns probably goes the Cardinals way.

Overall
Panthers - This should be one Hell of a game.  Though these are two heavy-hitting, mean-ass defensive units, I fully expect a ton of yards and a ton of points.  That said, I think Delhomme is the difference in this game (in a bad way).  I know he's an easy scapegoat, but he's an easy scapegoat for a reason.  He gets rattled easily, if he makes one mistake, most often he makes many, he's facing a defense that forces mistakes, and he is at the new loud, not-so-nice-to-opposing-teams University of Phoenix Stadium.  Carolina should run well and complete passes for a lot of yards, but in the end, a Delhomme mistake will cost the Panthers the game (and fans may be calling for his head after another Cardinals victory).
Cardinals - Warner will have another one of his beautifully played home games and could break the 400 yard mark this day.  Though the run game won't be very effective, it won't need to be and the wide receivers will take over - Fitzgerald gets 3 touchdowns, Boldin has 1, and the defense takes one to the house (probably DRC).  The defense will get rocked for some points and we will have a very tired Cardinals team after the Giants and the Panthers back-to-back, but the offense should save the day once again to give this home crowd something to cheer about all the way home.

Week 8 (pre-training camp) prediction: Arizona 38 - Carolina 31

Other weekly opponent breakdowns:
Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers - Weeks 1 and 14
Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - Week 2
Arizona Cardinals vs. Indianapolis Colts - Week 3
Arizona Cardinals vs. Houston Texas - Week 5
Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks - Weeks 6 and 10
Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants - Week 7
Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears - Week 9
Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams - Weeks 11 and 16
Arizona Cardinals vs. Tennessee Titans - Week 12

More Carolina Panthers analysis:
Carolina Panthers Examiner