Two years ago, the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers squared off with a berth in the NFC title game at stake.
How the once-mighty have fallen – and hard.
When the Cardinals make a return trip to Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, neither team will bear a slight resemblance to the 2008 squads.
The Panthers (1-12) come into the game with the league's worst record and riding a seven-game losing streak, putting them in the pole position for the No. 1 draft pick next year.
Carolina's woes, much like those of the Cardinals, can be traced to awful quarterback play. The Panthers have the league’s worst passing game and are the only team preventing Arizona from holding that distinction.
Starter Matt Moore got off to a dismal start to the season for the Panthers. After an early-season benching, he reclaimed the starting job only to suffer a season-ending injury.
That has forced rookie Jimmy Clausen into the lineup, and the third-round pick out of Notre Dame has shown no signs that he is ready to handle the reins of an NFL offense. He is 0-7 as a starter and has not thrown a touchdown pass since Oct. 3 vs. New Orleans.
The Panthers are dead last in the league, averaging a dreadful 12.6 points per game - no other team is averaging below 17 points per contest. They have topped 20 points only twice on the season.
In a 31-10 loss to the AFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons last week, Clausen threw for only 107 yards on 14-of-24 passing, although Carolina did get strong production from its ground game as Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson combined for 203 yards rushing.
The Panthers’ best hopes to snap their losing streak could hinge on the running game, as Arizona ranks 30th in the league in rushing defense.
Rookie John Skelton will make his second straight start for the Cardinals (4-9), who snapped a seven-game losing skid with a 43-13 thumping of the Denver Broncos last week.
Despite the lopsided score, Skelton’s numbers were ordinary at best. The sixth-round pick out of Fordham finished 15 of 37 for 146 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Kicker Jay Feely booted five field goals and ran for a touchdown and Tim Hightower rushed for a career-high 148 yards and two scores to spark Arizona’s offense.
The Cardinals had failed to score a touchdown in the previous two games prior to last week’s eruption, which was fueled by six Denver turnovers.
The playoff loss aside two years ago, Carolina has had success against Arizona, winning the last six regular-season meetings.