Arizona @ Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 6, 2013 ) Carolina 6, Arizona 22

The Carolina Panthers went two months without a victory and are the only team in the playoffs with a losing record, but the NFC South champions are a solid favorite as they open the postseason against the visiting Arizona Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers overcame a seven-game winless drought by winning their final four to snag the No. 4 seed and become the first playoff team with a losing record since 2010. "The beautiful thing - record doesn't matter," coach Ron Rivera said.

Arizona was in the mix for the top overall seed in the conference until dropping its final two games to NFC West rivals San Francisco and Seattle to plunge to the No. 5 seed. The Cardinals are down to their third-string quarterback in Ryan Lindley, who will be making his seventh career start and threw his first touchdown passes in last week's loss to the 49ers. “I don’t think anything different is expected of us in that locker room,” Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. “We don’t look at it as a team with a third-string quarterback. It’s our starting quarterback."

TV: 4:35 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Panthers -6.5. O/U: 38

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (11-5): While Arizona is still holding out a slight hope that backup Drew Stanton (knee) can return, the reality is that Lindley will make his third straight start and attempt to build on last week's 316-yard, two-TD, three-interception performance - sans the picks. Michael Floyd hauled in both scoring passes while setting season highs with eight receptions for 153 yards last week but Larry Fitzgerald was limited to two catches while battling knee issues. Kerwynn Williams, signed off the practice squad after starter Andre Ellington was lost for the season in Week 13, has rushed for at least 67 yards in three of his four starts, but a bigger worry is the defense's inability to control the opposition's ground game. The Cardinals permitted one team to rush for 100 yards in their first 10 games, but have allowed five of the last six foes have surpassed that total.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (7-8-1): While Carolina had the good fortune of closing the season against four teams that finished with losing records, its defense surrendered an average of 10.8 points during the winning streak and limiting Atlanta to a season-low three points in last week's division clincher. Luke Kuechly - "The best middle linebacker in football," according to Arians - led the league in tackles for the second time in three seasons and is the backbone of a unit that was shredded for at least 37 points in five of the first 10 games. Cam Newton suffered two fractures in his back in a rollover car accident earlier in December, but has rushed for a TD in three straight games and has a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in rookie Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Newton threw for a season-high 308 yards but was intercepted three times by Arizona in October 2013.

2. The Cardinals are 1-3 in their past four road games, averaging 12.5 points.

3. Arizona has won the past two meetings, including a 22-6 victory at Carolina last year.

PREDICTION: Panthers 20, Cardinals 19