The Carolina Panthers will begin their NFC schedule this weekend with a game against the Arizona Cardinals. The matchup has gained attention in recent years, particularly after Carolina’s playoff victories over Arizona in the 2014 NFC Wild Card and the 2015 NFC Championship. These wins started a six-game winning streak for the Panthers against the Cardinals. Last season, Carolina secured another victory with an overtime win led by Chuba Hubbard.
Historically, the Panthers lead the series 15-6 overall, with a 9-4 record at home and 6-2 on the road. The teams have met three times in the playoffs, where Carolina holds a 2-1 advantage.
Arizona comes into this game following a Week 1 win over another NFC South team, defeating the New Orleans Saints 20-13.
Quarterback Kyler Murray remains central to Arizona’s offense since being drafted first overall in 2019. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and selected to two Pro Bowls but has only one playoff appearance, which ended in defeat to the Rams in 2021. In last week’s game against New Orleans, Murray completed 21 of his 29 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns while rushing seven times for 38 yards. According to Next Gen Stats, both touchdown passes were thrown under pressure from blitzes. Murray finished with a passer rating of 135.8 against blitzes during that game—an improvement compared to last season when he posted one of the league’s lowest ratings in similar situations.
In their previous meeting late last December, Murray threw for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception against Carolina while also rushing for another score but took three sacks.
Arizona’s passing attack features second-year receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who caught five passes for 71 yards and a touchdown last week, and tight end Trey McBride, who had six catches for 61 yards after surpassing 1,000 receiving yards last season. Last year against Carolina, McBride was limited to three receptions for just 20 yards while Harrison Jr. managed four catches on eight targets for 39 yards.
Harrison discussed his offseason efforts with Murray to improve their connection: “We knew that’s something that for the team to reach its goal, something that we got to do better than we did last year,” Harrison said, according to ESPN.
Defensively, veteran safety Budda Baker recorded ten tackles (including one tackle for loss) and defended a pass against New Orleans. Rookie cornerback Will Johnson made his NFL debut with one tackle and three passes defended; he allowed just three completions on six targets as nearest defender while forcing tight coverage on half those attempts based on Next Gen Stats data.
The Panthers are preparing this week before traveling west as they look to continue their success against Arizona.
