National Football League
Carolina 27, Arizona 16
When: 4:35 PM ET, Saturday, January 3, 2015
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Temperature: 51°
Head Official: Ed Hochuli
Attendance: 71849

Panthers 27, Cardinals 16: Cam Newton threw a pair of touchdown passes 1:32 apart in the third quarter as host Carolina pulled away to advance to the NFC Divisional Round.

Newton finished 18-of-32 for 198 yards and Jonathan Stewart rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown as the Panthers (8-8-1) overcame a pair of costly first-half turnovers to extend their winning streak to five and set up a matchup at either top-seeded Seattle or No. 2 Green Bay next weekend. Running backs Fozzy Whittaker and Mike Tolbert each had scoring receptions while Carolina limited Arizona to 78 total yards - the fewest in postseason history.

Third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley threw for 81 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions as the Cardinals (11-6) closed the season with three consecutive defeats. Tight end Darren Fells and running back Marion Grice each scored a second-quarter touchdown, but Lindley was picked off inside the 5-yard line by Luke Kuechly and Tre Boston in the final 11:48 to stifle any comeback hopes.

Despite dominating the opening 30 minutes and limiting Arizona to 65 yards, the Panthers trailed 14-13 at the break before going ahead to stay on Newton's 39-yard screen pass to Whittaker. Ted Ginn Jr. fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Carolina recovered at the 3, setting up Newton's 1-yard scoring pass to Tolbert to make it 27-14 with 4:04 left in the third quarter.

The Panthers led 10-0 and were on the verge of an early KO before punt returner Brenton Bersin let the ball hit him, leading to a recovery for the Cardinals and a 1-yard TD pass from Lindley to Fells on the first play of the second quarter. Arizona's Antonio Cromartie returned an interception 50 yards and Grice scored from the 1 with 2:46 left in the half before Graham Gano's 39-yard field goal made it 14-13 at the half.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Panthers have permitted a total of 59 points during their five-game winning streak. ... Grice's TD was initially ruled a fumble at the goal line and recovered by Carolina's Roman Harper, but it was reversed and called a touchdown upon video review because the ball crossed the plane. ... Panthers WR Philly Brown (three catches, 37 yards) was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury in the final minute of the first half after falling to the ground on an incomplete pass in the end zone. ... Cardinals P Drew Butler had a miserable game in the soggy conditions, averaging 34.8 yards on nine punts.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Arizona   Carolina
Kerwynn Williams Player Jonathan Stewart
10 Attempts 24
23 Yards 123
2.3 Avg Yards 5.1
0 Touchdowns 1
9 Long 35
Receiving
Arizona   Carolina
John Brown Player Foswhitt Whittaker
4 Receptions 1
34 Yards 39
8.5 Avg Yards 39.0
0 Touchdowns 1
21 Long 39
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Arizona 78 27 51 2 0 1 1.0 1
Carolina 386 188 198 3 2 2 4.0 1