Cardinals vs. Panthers 2016: Time, TV schedule and news for NFC Championship

Last week during the broadcast of the Divisional round matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was asked who he’d rather face in the NFC Championship. He quipped that he’d rather play Seattle in Seattle. He didn’t get his wish, and Arians and his team will now head to Carolina to face Cam Newton and the one-loss Panthers.

Whether he’s dabbing in defenders’ faces or passing out game balls to kids, Newton’s play has garnered a lot of attention. He’s put together an MVP-caliber season, despite being surrounded by limited weapons on offense. Last week against the Seahawks, Newton led the Panthers to a fast and furious 31-point lead in the first half.

With such a large lead, and despite not wanting take the foot off the gas, the team eased up after halftime and failed to put any more points on the board. The defense stood strong against Russell Wilson’s offense in the first half, and then allowed 24 unanswered points. Yet, the Panthers were able to ride it out through the fourth quarter to come away with the 31-24 win.

Running back Jonathan Stewart missed the last three games of the regular season, but came back with a bang, leading the day with 106 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Greg Olsen was the only receiver with more than 22 yards against the Seahawks, and also the only one to record a touchdown.

This will be the second time in as many years that the Panthers will host the Cardinals in a postseason matchup, but Arizona has a much different offense this time around. Last year, injuries forced the Cardinals to play four different quarterbacks a year ago, and third-stringer Ryan Lindley only managed to throw for 82 yards against the Panthers in a 27-16 loss.

But this year, Carson Palmer has stayed healthy and has helped turn the Cardinals into the top-ranked offense in the league. When he faces off against Newton on Sunday, it will be the first playoff game in NFL history that will be led by two Heisman-winning quarterbacks. Despite being a decade younger than Palmer, Newton has had more playoff success. He’s 2-2 in the postseason, while Palmer just got his first playoff win last weekend against the Green Bay Packers.

It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for the Cardinals -- they led 7-6 going into halftime, only to clinch the win in overtime -- but they did enough to outlast Aaron Rodgers and his Hail Mary magic. Now, Palmer is in unfamiliar waters -- a second postseason game -- but he has just the offensive weapons needed to pull off a win.

Palmer’s stats last week were consistent with the numbers he put up in the regular season. He completing 25 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns, but the run game was all but eliminated by the Packers’ defense. David Johnson and Andre Ellington were limited to a combined 38 rushing yards. As long as the team’s deep threat Larry Fitzgerald and red zone star Malcolm Floyd stay sharp, though, the Cardinals are in a good position.

Although Arizona’s defense was only able to force one sack and one fumble against Rodgers, the secondary kept his wideouts in check -- except, of course, on the game-tying Hail Mary. The rush defense could tighten up, coming off a game in which Eddie Lacy ran for 89 yards on 12 carries, but it still ranks toward the top of the league.

Whichever team wins the NFC title will head to the Super Bowl, to play the winner of the matchup between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots in the AFC.

When:​ Sun., Jan. 24, 6:40 p.m. ET

Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte

TV: Fox

Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Online: Fox Sports Go