On Sunday night at 6:40 the (13-3) Arizona Cardinals will be on the road to take on the (15-1) Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game.  “The Crowd” projects a final score of Panthers 28 – Cardinals 24 with an over/under of 52.2.  The “Vegas Line” has a final score of Panthers 25 – Cardinals 22 with an over/under of 47.  The Panthers enter the game with the best point differential in the NFL (+192).  The Cardinals, by comparison, rank second in point differential (+176).  The Cardinals’ offense ranks 1^st in yards per game (408.3) and 2^nd in points scored (489).  They will be up against a Panthers defense that ranks 6^th in fewest yards allowed per game (322.9) and fewest points allowed (308).

The Panthers’ offense ranks 11^th in yards per game (366.9) and 1^st in points scored (500).  They will square off with a Cardinals defense that ranks 5^th in fewest yards allowed per game (321.7) and are tied for 7^th in fewest points allowed (313).  The Panthers have the best turnover margin in the NFL (+20).  The Cardinals rank 4^th in turnover margin (+9).  These two teams last played on January 3^rd 2015 in Carolina and resulted in a 27-16 Panthers victory.  The stats prove these teams are very evenly matched on paper.  I give the slight edge to Carolina playing in front of their home crowd.

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