Arizona Cardinals’ top priorities vs. Panthers: Run the ball, stop the run

The Arizona Cardinals say their roster is so different from a year ago that there is little to be gleaned from how the Carolina Panthers beat them 27-16 in the wild-card round.

Except for this: Safety Rashad Johnson, among others, says the Cardinals can’t afford to be outgained by so much on the ground in Sunday’s rematch at Bank of America Stadium.

In that previous playoff game the Panthers ran for 188 yards, and the Cardinals totaled just 27. Both offensive and defensive players said Tuesday its imperative that doesn’t happen again.

“If we don’t take care of their running game, it’s going to be a very big problem,” Johnson said at the Cardinals’ practice facility. “They are so physical and we’ve got to be physical, too.”

Johnson said the Panthers are different from every other NFL team in that they have both a featured back in Jonathan Stewart and a quarterback in Cam Newton who functions as a power running back in addition to his passing.

“It’s really special what (Newton) does with his legs. Their (overall) running game sets it up for him,” Johnson said. “But I think we’ve got a game plan for him.”

In that previous matchup Stewart ran for 123 yards on 24 carries and scored a touchdown. Johnson said there’s an emphasis in defensive team meetings this week on the importance of gang-tackling.

“He’s, what, 5-11 and 230 pounds? Short and stocky,” Johnson said. “If you hit him with two or three guys, you have a shot. For one guy to take him down, that’s asking a lot.”

Then the X factor becomes Newton, Johnson said. His ability to convert third-and-short into first down wears down defenses all the time.

“In order to win third down, we’ve got to win first and second down this time,” Johnson said. “You let them get to third-and-1 or third-and-2 and Cam becomes unbelievably hard to stop.”

That’s the defensive side of the problem for the Cardinals. The offensive side is they were almost entirely dependent on the passing game to move the ball in Saturday’s divisional round victory over the Green Bay Packers. That puts an unreasonable burden on quarterback Carson Palmer.

The Cardinals ran for just 40 yards against the Packers, a 2.1 yards-per-carry average, compared with 135 rushing yards for the Packers, a 6.1-per-carry average.

Running back David Johnson finished Saturday’s game with 35 yards on 15 carries. Coach Bruce Arians says that wasn’t Johnson’s fault. Arians said the Cardinals offensive line failed to open many holes.

“Getting their (butts) kicked up front,” Arians said. “It’s not anything David is doing. There’s just not a lot of holes there and we have to do a better job. It’s a tough challenge this week.”

Tough, Arians said, because the Panthers’ front seven is so solid.

“The interior two tackles (Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei) are the best pair. The linebackers are great, but they help make them great. Luke (Kuechly) is probably the best linebacker in the league.”

Johnson said part of the problem Saturday was the Cardinals had played the Packers just weeks earlier and came to the playoff game particularly prepared to shut him down.

“I think they had a good scheme against us from the two weeks before that when we played them,” Johnson said. “They were ready for us.”

Johnson said its essential the Cardinals find a running game better than either the Packers game or a year ago in Charlotte.

“It’s very important; it gets us moving the ball and takes a lot less on Carson, to rely on throwing the ball so much,” Johnson said. “When we’re able to run the ball it keeps our offense on the field and just overall helps our team.”

Johnson knows that won’t be easy.

“They’re fast and physical,” Johnson said. “We’re going to have to be come out and be more physical than them.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Arizona Cardinals’ top priorities vs. Panthers: Run the ball, stop the run."