The Carolina Panthers will be playing in the NFC title game for the fourth time in their 21 year history when they host the Arizona Cardinals in the late title tilt on Sunday.
It will be the first time that the Panthers host the title game.
They are 3 point favorites vs the Cardinals, who are in their second title game, having hosted and won the other one after the 2008 regular season.
The Cards just hosted a divisional round game for the first time.
Carolina lost at Green Bay vs the Packers in the 1996 NFC title game before splitting the next two.
The Panthers prevailed at Philadelphia vs the Eagles, the third straight Eagles’ title game loss (2001-2003), in 2003.
The Seattle Seahawks, whom the Panthers defeated yesterday in the slot 3 divisional round game, won at home vs Carolina after the 2005 season.
Carolina Panthers’ owner Jerry Richardson pictured above with quarterback Cam Newton, caught a touchdown pass from the great John Unitas in the Baltimore Colts’ 1959 title game victory.
Mr. Richardson used the bonus money from that game to help start his beyond successful Hardees franchise.
The Carolina Panthers’ eventual 7 point home win vs the Seattle Seahawks ends a nice four year run for the Seattle team.
They won and then lost in successive Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014.
Today they suffered their second loss in the divisional round, after a wild card game win.
In 2012 they beat the Washington Redskins in a wild card round game and then fought back from a big deficit, to lead, only to lose at Atlanta vs the Falcons in the subsequent division round game.
They covered the point spread in defeat in that game, but did not in today’s game.
Their road record in post-season play fell to (3-10).
Pete Carroll pictured above, and his Seattle Seahawks lost a round later than the Green Bay packers last year. This year they both lose in the same divisional round, Seattle lasting less than 24 hours longer.
Barring injury, the NFC representative in the 50th “Supe” will have both a quarterback and head coach with 6 letters in his last name.
In yesterday’s two divisional round games, WFAN radio’s Mike Francesa went (1-1) on his predictions.
He “touted” (Howard Cosell warned of his presence as a one time tout) the 5 point favorite New England Patriots coached by Bill Belichick, a man Francesa, who is successful beyond reason, for little reason, clearly does not like.
BeleCHICK and the Pats CLICKED defeating an Andy Reid (a coach Francesa likes) coached K.C. Chiefs team by 7 points. Reid again showed poor clock management skills, not only at the end of the game which is being publicized, but far more relevant to the outcome, at the end of the first half.
This is reminiscent of Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb’s horrible waste of precious time in a Super Bowl loss by Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles, also against Belechick and the Pats, after the 2004 season.
Unlike that game, when Reid’s team covered the point spread in defeat, they did not yesterday, giving Francesa a “win,” he gladly would have traded for a Belichick loss.
In the night game Arizona (Cardinals) a seven point favorite won by six vs the Green Bay Packers. Though football and gambling are forever linked, I will not detail the spread ramifications of the last play of regulation time “G.B.” score and thus in my own way, “salute” a classic game.
Today’s Francesa selections follow.
Carolina (Panthers) at home, minus 2 points vs the Seattle Seahawks.
Denver (Broncos) at home, minus 7 points vs the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let’s meet under the famed clock in New York’s Grand Central Station. Perhaps, if I were meeting a lover or at least a viable date, my thoughts would be more positive.
For example, I might spend more TIME considering Jacqueline Kennedy’s great effort in renovating Grand Central Station and less regarding a certain blood stained outfit.
I might be thinking about natural beauty or even great food and not point spreads and Andy Reid’s poor CLOCK management in playoff tilts, vs the New England Patriots.
When the Arizona Cardinals’ brilliant receiver, Larry Fitzgerald stepped into the end zone with a 5 yard, game winning catch, 6’s at least 4 and not the dreaded 3, were evident.
The Cardinals, playing in their first home divisional round game had a SIX point win, scoring twenty SIX points.
Barring injury, it also means the starting quarterback for the NFC team in the 50th Super Bowl, to be played three weeks hence, will have six letters in his last name.
He will be either Carson Palmer, he with 6 letters in each name, and the Arizona quarterback, not exactly great in last night’s win, but a winner for the first time in 3 post-season tilts.
Palmer and the Cardinals will face either Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks or Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, in the NFC title game next week.
Larry Fitzgerald pictured above, had a long catch and run touchdown in the 43rd Super Bowl to put the Cardinals ahead in the 4th quarter. However, in a game, as was the case last night, in which Al Michaels was the television announcer, the Pittsburgh Steelers on a Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes touchdown pass won but “no covered” the Cardinals.
Last night Fitzgerald took 2 overtime passes from “Car” Palmer, the first for 75 yards, the next for a game winning touchdown as Arizona a 7 point favorite won by 6 points, surviving an incredible second Aaron Rodgers last play of regulation long/”Hail Mary” touchdown pass.
Both coaches in today’s division round opener (Kansas City Chiefs at the New England Patriots) have stellar records in this round of the playoffs.
Andy Reid, the Chiefs’ coach has a (5-2) divisional round record.
All of those games were as Philadelphia Eagles’ coach.
It is New England coach Bill Belichick, who has coached in this round with two teams.
Of course his record of (8-2) in this round with the Patriots is what is best known.
He did however, lose his only other tilt in this round and that was while coaching the Cleveland Browns in 1994.
Then the Pittsburgh Steelers eased vs Belichick’s Browns in the divisional round’s first game which was played in the early afternoon.
Things change, the first game is now late afternoon and Belichick who trailing (17-0) in that 1994 game actually went for a field goal, all but conceding that tilt in a 4th and 1 situation.
Sometimes I find it hard to believe that the failed coach (Belichick) in that game went to New England and is one of the great coaches in any sport of this or any other time.
During the regular season, in a game on Fox television, with Joe Buck announcing, the Arizona Cardinals ripped the Green Bay Packers.
Tonight the two teams meet in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, in an Al Michaels NBC game.
It will not be a rout!
Arizona likely will win, may cover the 7 point spread but it will not be a rout.
In their first ever home divisional round game I do predict an Arizona Cardinals’ victory.
Arizona 20 Green Bay 17
Jim Hart-St Louis Cardinals Rookie
Twice Jim Hart and the St. Louis Cardinals played in Saturday, road divisional round games. In an early afternoon game the Minnesota Vikings beat the Cardinals in 1974. Before his ascent to The NFL Today, Brent Musburger was that game’s announcer.
In 1975, in the late afternoon, the St.Louis Rams, once the Cleveland Rams and after 1975, the St. Louis Rams and as of this week again the L.A. Rams heaped “pain” on the city of St. Louis, ripping the Cardinals in L.A.
There were no divisional round games when the Cardinals were in Chicago. Tonight it is a night game, the Cardinals are home and it is 40 years since a road loss to the L.A. Rams.
On we go, informing as to what the WFAN radio host Mike Francesa’s predictions are for the divisional round of the playoffs.
In today’s games he is taking both favorites to win and cover the point spread.
The predictions:
New England Patriots minus 5 points at home vs the Kansas City Chiefs
At night:
Arizona Cardinals minus 7 points at home vs the Green Bay Packers.
WFAN Radio’s Mike Francesa claims a (32-19) record for this NFL season.
I do not know if that includes his (3-1) record last week.
He at one point yesterday said he had all 4 winning games last week stating correctly that his pick Seattle (Seahawks) did not cover the point spread.
However, he failed to mention that his prediction of the Cincinnati Bengals lost their game, though they covered the spread.
Going into the last 2 weeks of the regular season, Francesa’s record was (27-17). I do not know his picks for the last two weeks of the regular season.
It was 49 years ago today that the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the first game between the NFL and AFL champions.
The game then the NFL/AFL championship game is called the Super Bowl.
One reason it is called that name is the “super ball” which Lamar Hunt’s son Clark and so many that age bounced so high and lost so many times.
Oddly one day after the 49th anniversary of the Packers (35-10) win, both the Chiefs and Packers will be in divisional round games as respective 5 and 7 point underdogs vs New England (Patriots) and Arizona (Cardinals).
A replay of that first game will be shown tonight on the NFL Network with audio from the NBC radio broadcast added as the television audio is likely gone.
Working with analyst George Ratterman that day was a fine announcer named Jim Simpson.
He passed away at age 88 this week. More on this fine announcer in an upcoming post.
I have already cited the fact that the University of Alabama has won 4 college football crowns in the past 7 seasons, of course with Democrat Barack Obama as United States president.
The correlation between Tide success and a Democratic administration goes back further and yields an interesting result.
All ten Alabama titles have been achieved with a Democrat as U.S. president.
Nine, the four with current president Obama and five others were with the Democratic president in office.
The other, after the 1992 season, happened with a Democrat, Bill Clinton as President elect.
The titles and the Democrats as president follow.
John F. Kennedy 1961, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and 1965, Jimmy Carter in 1978 and 1979, Bill Clinton 1992, Barack Obama 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015.
Best known for baseball, Harry Kalas pictured above and donned in Alabama type attire (the jacket), was also a brilliant football broadcaster. He broadcast the Alabama Sugar Bowl victory that produced the 1992 title on national radio. Oh do I miss his brilliant craft.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Inaugural Speech (full)
Talk about missing someone, John F. Kennedy was taken, but this speech and perhaps the hope expressed therein, still resonates. Click above to view a place and moment in time which evokes those saddest of words, “what might have been!”
Andy B Sports 