NFL playoffs schedule and results: Panthers knock off Cardinals, Ravens beat Steelers

Newton wore a satin-laced suit and black shoes with dazzling, long, gold, bouncing tassels. He looked more ready to talk chic than football.

That’s over.

We’ve seen this story a million times:

1. They can run on the field and get arrested, like this kid.

The Steelers offense finally started moving in a fourth quarter that saw them pile up much of their 387 offensive yards. But that stat doesn’t tell the true story of the Ravens’ superb defense, which held Pittsburgh to just 219 yards through the first three quarters.

The Ravens’ front hounded Roethlisberger, who came in having been sacked just three times in his previous five games. Baltimore hit that mark by halftime and finished with five sacks.

*****

Here’s a look at the remaining games:

The Steelers lost to the Ravens and ... :(

So Lindley has the higher passer rating, despite doing things like this:

Through one half, the Cardinals have just 65 yards off of 29 plays, with a per-play average of 2.2 yards. Despite starting two drives in Arizona territory, the Panthers only turned those two possessions into three points. They also had a missed field goal by Gano. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have punted five times through two quarters, with both scores coming on drives in which they started from the Carolina 30- and 17-yard lines.

That’s Jonathan Cooper, who’s inactive today. Here’s what he looks like:

(Photo credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports)

The score gave the Cardinals a 14-10 lead, despite being outgained 150 yards to 65 through most of two quarters.

It’s alright! You’re there, in the rain, supporting your team. That’s all that matters.

(h/t @xmasape)

Despite Arizona boasting a better record, Carolina is a whopping 6.5-point favorite, per OddsShark. That seems less crazy when you realize the Cardinals may once again have to use their third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley if backup Drew Stanton is not ready to go. Stanton suffered a knee injury in Week 15, and Lindley went 0-2 as a starter in Stanton’s place. On the other hand, the Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak and only allowed 43 points in the entire month of December.

Unsurprisingly, the experts favor Carolina in this matchup. The CBS Sports eight-man crew went with the Panthers by a 7-1 margin. The one guy who picked Arizona was senior NFL columnist Pete Prisco, and here’s why he picked the Cardinals to win at Carolina: