From a team that flirted with historically awful status entering the playoffs, the Panthers' defense rose up and put on the most crushing display of defense in NFL playoff history. Carolina held Arizona to an NFL playoff-record 78 yards of total offense during its 27-16 victory. Seventy-eight yards. Granted, the final total occurred after a botched expired-clock lateral-fest that lost 19 yards, but still ... this was the kind of performance that gets offensive coordinators shot into the sun.
It's also the kind of performance that has Panthers defenders exulting in well-earned triumph. "Menacing. Stifling. Dang!" grinned cornerback Josh Norman, punctuating every word like a preacher. "Let that panther roar! It don't get no better than this!"
First, the numbers. Use caution if you're reading this at work, and those of you with small children may wish to leave the room. Arizona ran a total of 47 plays to gain those 78 yards. In the second half, Arizona ran 18 plays and gained just 13 yards. You've got to work hard to be that bad. Quarterback Ryan Lindley could have flopped forward onto the offensive line like a salmon and still managed more than 13 yards.
Lindley was overmatched from the very start. He threw two interceptions, got sacked four times, and gave off the general impression of a hunted gazelle in a nature documentary. Carolina was quick to give him credit, measured though it was.
"He's a great quarterback," safety Tre Boston said. "He didn't try to do anything his coaches didn't tell him to do, nothing outside of what was expected. He played within himself."
"You watch film and you realize he's got a strong arm and some weapons, like Larry Fitzgerald," linebacker Thomas Davis said. "You know that if you don't execute, it doesn't take much to get him started and give him room to move. We couldn't let him get comfortable."
Of course, the more uncomfortable Lindley was, the more comfortable the D got. "Once we started getting in the backfield, one thing led to another," cornerback Bene Benwikere said, then smiled: "Party in the backfield!"
