Panthers pulverize Cardinals, to meet Broncos in Super Bowl

It’s always interesting to see what movies Hollywood studios roll out on Super Bowl weekend, while at the same time spending millions of dollars on commercials to promote their would-be blockbuster movies.

There were a lot of excited Carolina fans during the Panthers’ 49-15 rout of Arizona in the NFC Championship, but one in-stadium fan took the cake.

Carolina players definitely appreciate Newton’s willingness to throw his 6-foot-5, 260-pound body in harm’s way as he did at the end of a 12-yard third-quarter third-down run Sunday.

The second of today’s championship round double-header takes place this evening as the Carolina Panthers host the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game for the right to go to Super Bowl 50. The NFL is a big business so we understand how it goes or what not. Denver has reached the Super Bowl for a record-tying eighth time. The question is, will it be Carson Palmer or Cam Newton, who lead their team to the promised land?

“We wanted to come out and play a complete game and I think the guys up front played exceptional”, linebacker Luke Kuechly said. It’s not over yet. The Panthers next game will not be for nearly two weeks, which will give Davis a chance, at least a small one.

Even with eight catches for 144 yards, Gronkowski and the Patriots weren’t able to top the Denver Broncos defense with the final score being 20-18. It was part of an effort that made him the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to pass for more than 300 yards (335) and rush for multiple touchdowns (2).

The best performance to-date by a QB under 27 in the Super Bowl belongs to Troy Aikman, who had four touchdowns and no picks in the Cowboys’ 52-17 win over the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII.

Carolina’s defense did the rest, most notably making Palmer uncomfortable in the pocket and turning Larry Fitzgerald, the star of last week’s overtime victory against Green Bay, into a virtual non-entity. The last time a team scored as many in a conference title game was 1990: Buffalo 51, the Raiders 3 in the AFC.

Special shout out to Thomas Davis, who will be forgotten in the annals of this game because of injury when in reality he was the best defensive player on the field until he left hurt.

The wager requires the Senator representing the losing team to deliver a speech on the Senate floor congratulating the winning team and wishing them victory in the Super Bowl.

The scoring started quickly. Newton’s 86-yard pass to Corey Brown in the first quarter on Sunday was the longest touchdown in an NFC championship game since Brett Favre connected with Donald Driver for 90 yards in the 2007 season.

Arizona, seeking the speed in those shoes, signed Ginn away from Carolina after the 2013 season, in which he had 36 catches for 556 yards. The ‘ol Ted Ginn Jr. end-around play to grab a 10-0 lead against Arizona, for instance.

First, the Panthers need to establish the running game once again early.

Offensively Newton and the Panthers are looking to run the football with Jonathon Stewart, he piled up better than 100 yards with a couple of scores last week.