Six plays later, he took a pitch from Newton, headed left and broke a tackle by Justin Bethel. Ginn's 32-yard punt return set up the Panthers at the Arizona 49. "I kept digging us in a hole and we just couldn't come out of it," Palmer said. He just connected too many times with the Panthers. Newton hit four passes for 35 yards on their opening drive and Graham Gano hit from 45 yards for a 3-0 lead.Ĭriticized for being too conservative against Green Bay, Palmer let it fly from the outset. The scoring started quickly, as it did for the Panthers against the Seahawks. The last time a team scored as many in a conference title game was 1990: Buffalo 51, the Raiders 3 in the AFC. The 49 points were the most this season for Carolina, which led the NFL with 500. "There was pressure all day."Ĭapping the barrage was Kuechly, who returned an interception 22 yards for a score. "We wanted to come out and play a complete game, and I think the guys up front played exceptional," linebacker Luke Kuechly said. It led the league with 39 takeaways, and at times it made an Arizona team that gained more yards than anyone look amateurish. "My team knew it was personal."Ĭarolina's defense did the rest, most notably making Palmer uncomfortable in the pocket and turning Larry Fitzgerald, the star of last week's overtime victory against Green Bay, into a virtual non-entity. Ginn had a 32-yard punt return to set up his weaving 22-yard TD run and chased down All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson to prevent a second-quarter touchdown. One of his biggest helpers was Ted Ginn Jr., who was dumped by the Cardinals after last season. Newton finished with 335 yards passing and 47 rushing as Carolina won its 13th straight home game, including three in the playoffs. When Newton flew into the end zone for a 12-yard third-quarter touchdown - no, he didn't have the cape on - he posed like a superhero, dabbed a bit, and pointed the Panthers toward the Bay Area. Special teams also had a takeaway, and when Carolina grabbed a 24-7 halftime lead this time, it didn't back off, as it did in nearly blowing a 31-point margin a week ago versus Seattle. It picked off Carson Palmer four times, forced two fumbles by him and never let up the assault. Denver, of course, has made a habit of going to Super Bowls, reaching it for a record-tying eighth time.Īnd while the Broncos' defense carried it past New England 20-18 for the AFC crown, Carolina's D was just as destructive. It will be Newton's first trip to the Super Bowl and the second for the Panthers (17-1), who lost to New England 12 years ago. "We've been dreaming about this moment since Day 1," Newton said. The NFL's new top man at quarterback - Newton is an All-Pro this season - goes against five-time MVP Manning. The 49 points were the most for an NFC title game winner. Newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others, and Carolina's big-play defense stifled Arizona's top-ranked offense. "We're going to live in the moment right now. "Playing the sheriff," Newton said of Manning. That would be against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in two weeks. "We are trying to finish this thing off." We are not going just to take pictures," Cam Newton said Sunday after leading the Carolina Panthers into the big game with a 49-15 rout of Arizona for the NFC championship. Superman is bringing his cape and his pen to Super Bowl 50. NFL, Carolina Panthers, Arizona CardinalsĬHARLOTTE, N.C. “Uh, I think Peyton might be a little old for them,” Hilfiger said, “but Peyton has rocked quite a few great things over the years.Cam Newton, Panthers smother Cards to reach Super Bowl 50 Could Newton’s nemesis, Bronco quarterback Peyton Manning, succeed in similar pants? The Panthers meet the Denver Broncos on Sunday. “I think he’s very cool,” the designer said ahead of his own fashion presentation, “and I think he’s not only an iconic athlete but he’s a fashion icon as well. So what’s the word within the fashion industry? We asked football fan Tommy Hilfiger to weigh in. His black leather motorcycle jacket added extra oomph. Newton kept the look classy up top, pairing his fancy pants with a V-neck sweater, a tie and some gold-tip shoes. I think I could,” Edelman smiled.Īs for Brady, he added: “Tom could rock anything. If you go out with a confidence I think I could. The Patriots missed out on Super Bowl 50, but he considers himself a Cam pants contender. “I haven’t seen him in skintight pants like that yet so that would be a new style for him.”īrady’s fellow Patriot, Julian Edelman, took in the rock-themed Varvatos show as well. How about Patriots quarterback Tom Brady? “Oh, I don’t know if I could rock those pants but Cam definitely put a statement on Super Bowl week for sure,” Decker said. He was joined at Varvatos by Eric Decker, a wide receiver for the New York Jets - and another underachiever when it comes to football’s most famous pants.
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