Arizona at Carolina

The Arizona Cardinals have not been the same team since Carson Palmer went down with an injury. Dating back to the end of last season, this team was 16-3 after ten games this season over a 19-game stretch. They looked to be headed for the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs. But, the offense has really gone in the tank over the last seven weeks as they have failed to score more than 18 points in any game. They have managed to stay in games because they have a defense that has held 13 of 16 opponents to 20 points or less. They now must take on a Carolina team that is the exact opposite. Despite losing six games in a row at one point, the Panthers came on strong late in the season to win the NFC South with four straight wins and a below .500, 7-8-1 record. The Panthers' defense came up big in the last month of the season, allowing just 43 points total in their last four games. Overall Carolina outscored their last four opponents by an average score of 28-11. The offense has been an adventure quite frequently as they have failed to top the 21-point mark in 11 of their 16 games. The difference here is Cam Newton and a home field vs. a team that has a vastly inexperienced QB, and a good defense that is playing elite of late. It's also important to note that teams that makes the playoffs as a .500 team or worse is actually 6-0-1 ATS in the Wildcard round. Carolina is playing their best defense of the year, and have played to a stellar 43-21-1 mark to the UNDER in their last 65 home games. With Arizona on their third/fourth string QB, they'll be lucky to get more than 14 points in this game. Meanwhile, Carolina is hot at the right time (think 2012 New York Giants and 2013 Baltimore Ravens). Take Carolina and the UNDER in this one.