Those who have read my threads throughout these many years, know that I have never posted a Game Of The Year in the NFL. However, I have said that on rare occasions, I have made rather large wagers (up to 6 figures) on specific post season games, most particularly in the days when the 49ers were dominant. I have been in this business now for well over 45 years and pick my spots for these rare plays. Today, is one such day and I decided to share it with you.
The game is between Arizona and Carolina. This game has all the factors that I'm looking for in a match-up. First let's start with Carolina. The Panthers run first and throw second. With Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart, they pose a difficult task to a Cardinal defense that will have to face the read option and choose to follow Newton and/or Stewart and the passing of play action, as well, off that read. The Cardinals have a decent run defense and a shut down corner in Peterson, but they still will have difficulty overall stopping the Panthers.
As for Arizona, they barely have a running game with rookie David Johnson and have to rely on the arm of Carson Palmer throwing to his receivers led by Larry Fitzgerald. Against the Panther defense, this presents a one dimensional problem against an outstanding defense that is very fast laterally and covers a great deal of ground. Last week, the Panthers jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead as the Seahawks Russel Wilson made mistakes and the Panthers capitalized with their offense to score. Now, in the second half, Russel Wilson used his legs to get outside the pocket and find his receivers to a make huge comeback to make the final score respectable. However, Carson Palmer is nothing like Russell Wilson. He is a stationary target in the pocket and only runs when he has to. Against the Panther defense, this makes him highly vulnerable to sacks, pressure, and hits. The Panther defense will be without Jared Allen, but expect them still to put a lot of pressure on Palmer. Against Green Bay, Palmer looked shaky early and that was at home. In Carolina, at night, in the cold, expect that Palmer will be very uncomfortable against this Carolina defense.
I could go on but will leave you this tried and true thought. Defense wins championships and the Panthers have the far superior defense. Champions know how to run and stop the run. The Panthers are far superior to the Cardinals here. Look for a long day for Arizona as they struggle to consistently gain yardage while the Panthers force them into turnovers and widen the score to win going away.
This play will not be rated and should you decide to play it, do so confidently, but play only what you can afford to lose. There is no such thing as a lock!
5* YTD Playoff Record: (4-3-1)(+4.00)
5* YTD Regular Season Record: (16-15-3)(-8.25)
5* YTD Overall Record: (20-18-3)(-4.25)(52.63%)
Game Of The Year: Carolina -3 (-125)
Good Luck Everyone!
