Larry Fitzgerald had six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinals' first-round win. (By Jeff Gross -- Getty Images)

Offense

Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin could be limited or sidelined by a hamstring injury. That makes the Cardinals just a little bit easier to cover in the passing game, but QB Kurt Warner has two other 1,000-yard WRs — Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston — at his disposal. RB Edgerrin James has become the starter and played well the past two games. ..... The Panthers probably will try to control the game with RB DeAngelo Williams, the league’s third-leading rusher during the regular season, and look to WR Steve Smith for a big play or two in the passing game. Rookie RB Jonathan Stewart has performed well as Williams’s backup.

Defense

The Cardinals played well on defense while beating the Falcons in a first-round playoff game last weekend, highlighted by CB Antrel Rolle’s fumble return for a touchdown. But Arizona ranked only 19th in the NFL in total defense during the regular season. That was only one spot behind the Panthers, however. ..... Carolina surrendered 381 passing yards to Warner when the Panthers beat the Cardinals in Week 8 of the regular season, but limited Arizona to 50 rushing yards, with only 20 of them from running backs.

Special Teams

Both place kickers had good seasons. The Cardinals’ Neil Rackers made 25 of 28 field goal attempts while the Panthers’ John Kasay went 28 for 31. Rackers had a miss against the Falcons last weekend, though.

Coaching

The task for the Cardinals’ Ken Whisenhunt is to convince his team it can come to the East Coast and beat a good team on the road. ..... The Panthers’ John Fox must get his players to knock the rust off their game after a two-week layoff and avoid complacency in a contest that Carolina is expected to win.

Winner: Panthers.