Panthers early Super Bowl favorites over Broncos

"At this point in time in your career when somebody says they don't want you, but you know you can still play, you want to go out and show it. He did that tonight".

That game ended with the Tom Brady leading New England to a field goal in the final seconds for a 32-29 win over the Panthers in Houston.

The Panthers have set franchise records not only for wins but also regular-season points (500) and touchdowns (59).

"With my turnovers and just us not being able to come out of that hole, the lead just kind of snowballed and got out of control", Palmer said. Manning is being given an extremely tough task against Carolina's elite defense, and will have to, at least, throw a couple of touchdown passes if Denver is to have any chance.

Fifteen seconds later, Kuechly returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown. He wasn't the only one who felt the pressure of the moment.

Ginn, who played last season for Arizona before rejoining the Panthers, then scored on a 22-yard reverse on a play in which he reversed field after picking up about half of the necessary yards. One week after getting his first playoff victory in a modest outing, he couldn't find a comfort zone in the 35-degree Carolina night.

A hot start was encouraging for the Panthers, but they faded out of the game after half time, and they can't rely on a similar start against a very strong Cardinals side.

The quarterback's first giveaway came in the second quarter, when he fumbled while the Cardinals trailed 17-0.

Beside those six, the Panthers had 10 players make Pro Bowl honors, with the others being tight end Greg Olson, running back Jonathan Stewart, defensive tackle Kawann Short and guard Trai Turner.

Through the first 15 minutes of action, the Cardinals had managed only 58 yards of offense with Palmer misfiring on six of his 10 pass attempts. He had 52 yards in receptions, and he tracked down All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson to prevent a touchdown on an interception return.

"It's a tremendous honor and it's been a special four years playing here in Denver for these great fans and this great organization, " Manning said.

And, the quarterback said once again, the Panthers aren't finished writing their own story. Palmer. A week after he made questionable throws against the Packers and it was revealed that he scripted safe plays early, Palmer didn't look any better.

Jan 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess (17) and quarterbac ...

Carolina's run to being favored in the Super Bowl capped a season that surprised some bookies. Temperature at kickoff was listed at 39 degrees....

Exactly 12 years ago, the Panthers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Patriots in their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

- Kurt Coleman, Panthers, had two of Carolina's four interceptions of Carson Palmer in a 49-15 rout of Arizona. It was the most points for a victor of an NFC title game.

Last week the fast-starting Panthers raced to a 31-0 lead by intermission against the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round before holding on for a 31-24 victory.

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