Cardinals again playing underdog January 6
Arizona Republic
"The 0-5 record in the Eastern time zone this season, the blowouts at Philadelphia and New England - it turns out they were part of an elaborate plot by the Cardinals to make themselves the biggest underdogs in the NFL playoffs this year.
"It's the plan, man," linebacker Karlos Dansby said, smiling, "be the underdog and try to get a victory in a hostile environment. It's a great stage. It's the setup."
The scheme is working so far. The Cardinals lost four of their last six regular-season games and were two-point underdogs to the Falcons last week. They won that game 30-24 adopting the "we didn't get any respect" tag with a special zeal.
If they liked that role, they will love the situation they are in this week: 10-point underdogs for the divisional playoff game Saturday night against the Panthers in Charlotte.
"We know it's a four-round fight," Dansby said of the playoffs, "and we're ready for the next fight."
It's against a familiar foe in a familiar venue. The Cardinals lost to the Panthers 27-23 on Oct. 26 at Bank of America Stadium. The Cardinals led 17-3 in the third quarter, but two turnovers in the second half led to their demise.
The Panthers (12-4) sprinted down the stretch, winning six of their final eight in the regular season to finish atop the NFC South and earn the second seed in the NFC. The Cardinals hobbled to the finish, winning the NFC West with a 9-7 record.
To advance beyond this weekend, the Cardinals will need to prove they can win in the East. Over the past six years, they are 2-19 in the Eastern time zone, including this season's 0-5 mark.
They can look back to the Panthers game in October for hope. After the game, quarterback Kurt Warner called it the best the team had played on the road in his four seasons with the Cardinals.
"We started something over there, now we've got to go back and finish it," guard Deuce Lutui said. "This is the time for us, there are no second chances. We're going to play it that way.
"This team has done well with challenges. This is the playoffs and every game is going to be close. There are no easy games. There's no 9-7s, no 11-5s. Each week is 0-0."
The Cardinals are confident they have sharpened their mental edge, but even they admit they lack proof that things will be better on this road trip.
"If it is going to be better, this would be a great week for it, wouldn't it?" coach Ken Whisenhunt quipped. "I wish I could tell you I had tangible evidence. Our last two games on the East Coast weren't so hot."
The fact that they are 10-point underdogs has not gone unnoticed. On Monday, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett turned every reporter's question into a testimonial of the Panthers' greatness.
How good are running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart?
"It's like Barry Sanders and Walter Payton. Both of them should be in the Pro Bowl together, starting.""
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