NFL Classic Game Recap: 2015 NFC Championship Game: Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers - The Arrival of Cam Newton

 Written by: Danny Albers 

Anyone who questions if Cam Newton was ever a good quarterback were obviously too young during the 2015 season, or they were living under a rock. The Panthers were the best team in the NFC at 15-1, and it wasn’t even close. The Cardinals finished the season 13-3, and we're riding the final waves of the Carson Palmer era. But they were clearly outmatched by the Panthers from the very beginning as the Panthers jumped on them 17-0 in the first quarter. Before we get too far ahead, let’s get into the BreakDown of what was probably the greatest game of Cam Newton’s playing career. 

1st Quarter - Panthers jump all over Arizona to start the game 

The Cardinals started out with the ball, but failed to get David Johnson going. They handed off to Johnson on the first two plays, the first one getting stuffed by Luke Kuechly. The second went for 3-yard before getting tackled by Cortland Finnegan. After an incomplete pass to Michael Floyd from Carson Palmer, the Cardinals punted the ball away. The Panthers got off right away. On 2nd down, Cam Newton hit Cory Brown for 14 yards to the Arizona 49. The Cardinals did well in stuffing the run, but Cam was effective early with his arm. He would find Ted Ginn on a check down who pushed for 13 yards and get to the Arizona 35, allowing for Graham Gano to hit a 45 yard field goal. After forcing another punt on the next possession. Cam Newton found the end zone, and only needed 5 plays to do it. On a 3rd and 2 at the Arizona 41, he’d find Greg Olsen down the field for 12 yards to the Arizona 29. The Panthers would score on a hand off to Ted Ginn Jr. who’d take it 22 yards for a touchdown. But the Panthers weren’t done with the 1st quarter fireworks. Cam Newton would hit Corey Brown down the middle of the field and Brown would take it 86 yards to give the Panthers a commanding 17-0 lead. 

2nd Quarter - Cardinals get on the board 

The second quarter began in disaster, as Carson Palmer was stripper on a sack, and Luke Kuechly would recover the fumble. The Cardinals defense would step up and get their first stop of the night. The Panthers would punt it away after their first 3-and out. This would begin a 6 minute, 10 play, 79 yard scoring play for the Cardinals ending in a touchdown, making it 17-7. Cardinals running back David Johnson would play a pivotal part in the drive. On a key 3rd and 11 Palmer would hit veteran J.J Nelson for 15 yards. David Johnson would find a hole past the right tackle and take it 15 yards to the Panthers 28. After Palmer would find J.J. Nelson for 10 yards taking it to the Panthers 3 yards line, David Johnson would only need 2 tries to punch it in to get the Cardinals on the board. 

But the Carolina Panthers would answer back. With 4:30 left in the half, Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart would break a 17-yard run to the Cardinals 24 yard line. On the very next play, Stewart would go 23 yards to the Arizona 1, and take it to the 2-minute warning. After the break, Cam Newton would push the ball over the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Panthers a commanding 24-7 lead. 

3rd Quarter - Nail In the Coffin 

The Panthers didn’t give the Cardinals much of a chance to get back in the game. The Panthers would open the half with an 11 play drive eating 7:10 off the clock. The drive would end in Gano hitting a 21-yard chip shot to go up 27-7. The Cardinals would get the ball back with only 7:50 left in the 3rd. After a 3 and out, the Cardinals would be forced to punt the ball away knowing that a Panthers score would end the game. Just when everyone thought the Panthers were going to run the clock down, they went for the jugular. Cam Newton would step back in the shotgun and hit Ted Ginn Jr. for 39 yards taking it to the Cardinals 38. The Panthers would continue to have their way against the Cardinals defense. Towards the end of the drive, Cam Newton would finish things with his feet. After an 11 yard run, Newton would get up and go another 12 yards into the end zone. The Panthers would go up 34-7 on the Newton run, putting the nail in the coffin. The Cardinals deserve some credit for not rolling over. The new drive, the Cardinals would go 10 plays for a touchdown ending with a 21 yard pass from Carson Palmer to Darren Fells. They’d convert on a 2-point attempt to make it a 34-15 game. 

4th quarter - Panthers are Going to the Super Bowl

In the 4th quarter, Carson Palmer and the Cardinals were in desperation mode. Palmer went for the home run on 1st down at the Carolina 44 before getting picked off at the Panthers 1 yard line. The Panthers facing a 3-and-out needed a big play, and Cam Newton provided. Newton would find Greg Olsen down the field for a big play taking the ball to the Cardinals 23. Newton would cap the drive off with another touchdown pass to Funchess. The Panthers would go up 42-15. On the very next play after the Panthers kicked off to the Cardinals, Luke Kuechly would pick off Carson Palmer and take it 22-yard for a touchdown. This would seal the game for the Panthers, winning the game 49-15. 

Just How Great Was Cam Newton? 

From 2011-2018, Cam Newton was one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His mobility along with his throwing ability was as dynamic as any other quarterback in the league. In 2015, Cam had arguably his best season leading the 15-1 Panthers to a Superbowl appearance. Newton threw for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns. 

Newton’s ability to elevate the players around was why the Panthers found themselves 15-1 and running over the Arizona Cardinals. Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. had his best season in 2015, doubling his career high in touchdowns with 10. Ginn, known for his and not his techniques playing the position, had 739 receiving yards in 2015. Ginn wasn’t the only player to experience career highs in the 2015 season. 2015 was the first year in the 5-year career of Devin Funchess. The rookie would play a big role in the receiver rotation for the Panthers having 473 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Jericho Cotchery played out his final season of his 11-year career with the Panthers in 2015, and was the only Panthers player to record an 1,000 yard season. However, that was in 2007 with the Jets, and in 2007, Cotchery had only 485 yards and 3 touchdowns. Of course, there was legendary tight end Greg Olsen who was by far the go receiver for Cam Newton. From 2014-2016, Newton recorded 1,000 receiving yards in each of the 3 seasons and had 16 touchdowns in the 3 year span. Corey Brown was the leading receiver in this game (113 yards and 1 touchdown). But on the season, Brown would only have 447 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Almost all these players had their best seasons with Cam Newton as their quarterback, even Greg Olsen who had an illustrious Hall of Fame Career. Running backs Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert saw increased production playing with Newton. The offense was efficient and often rose to the occasion in big moments. Just look at this game for proof. The Panthers were ranked 11th in total team offense, and 6th in team defense in 2015. The Cardinals were ranked 5th in total defense and were the number one offense in the NFL. The Panthers blowout win was because of how often they converted on big plays. The Panthers were 2-2 on 2-point conversions, had multiple big plays leading to touchdowns, and extended drives by converting on 3rd down keeping the Cardinals offense off the field. 

Although the Panthers didn’t win the big one, losing to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the Superbowl, the 15-1 season and the dominance they showed through the season and the playoffs is one of the more impressive team achievements we’ve seen. Watching this game and seeing Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly in their prime is something special. It’s a shame that Newton and the Panthers never captured a Superbowl together, but you can still look back at this run and appreciate Cam Newton for the incredible talent that he was.