(My Sportsbook) - One week after earning their first postseason victory in a decade, the Arizona Cardinals will attempt to clear another major hurdle when they visit Bank of America Stadium for this Saturday's NFC Divisional Playoff clash with the Carolina Panthers.

The Cardinals lost seven times during the regular season, which was still good enough to finish at the top of a suspect NFC West field, with five of those defeats coming on cross-country trips. Included in that string of futility was a 56-35 loss to the New York Jets in September, a 28-point setback at Philadelphia on Thanksgiving, and an utterly forgettable 47-7 shellacking at the hands of New England on a snowy Sunday in late December.

Since the 2003 season, Arizona has gone just 2-19 when playing in the Eastern Time Zone.

One of the Cardinals' few competitive showings on the East Coast did come in Charlotte, however. In a 27-23 loss to the Panthers on October 26, Arizona built a 14-point lead early in the second half before Carolina rallied with a trio of touchdowns in the third quarter.

Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns in that mid-season tilt, with standout wide receiver Anquan Boldin hauling in both of the scoring strikes, and Arizona rolled up 425 total yards and 25 first downs on the afternoon.

Boldin also hooked up with Warner for a key 71-yard touchdown that spurred the fourth-seeded Cardinals to a 30-24 home ousting of Atlanta in last weekend's Wild Card round. However, the Pro Bowl wideout strained his left hamstring on the play, and his status for Saturday's showdown will likely be in question right up until game time.

Last week's victory was Arizona's first in a postseason game since a 20-7 decision over Dallas in a 1998 NFC Wild Card Playoff. The Cardinals then endured nine consecutive non-winning seasons before this year's 9-7 breakthrough.

Obtaining a second straight playoff win figures to be a tall order, since the Panthers were the only NFL team this season to record an 8-0 record at home. Five of those decisions were by 15 points or more.

Carolina (12-4), which is making its first postseason foray since 2005, secured the NFC's No. 2 seed and an opening-round bye with a hard-fought 33-31 win at division-rival New Orleans in the regular-season finale. After squandering a 20-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter, the Panthers put together a late march capped by veteran kicker John Kasay's 42-yard field goal in the waning seconds.

The NFC South champion Panthers are in the playoffs for the fourth time in the franchise's 14-year tenure. Carolina is 6-3 all-time in the postseason, including a 5-2 mark under current head coach John Fox.

SERIES HISTORY

Carolina has a 6-2 lead in its all-time series with Arizona, including the aforementioned 27-23 win when the teams met at Bank of America Stadium in Week 8. The Cardinals are 0-5 against the Panthers since last defeating them, in Charlotte in 2002.

Saturday's game will mark the first postseason meeting between the clubs all- time.

Fox is 5-1 against Arizona in his career, while the Cardinals' Ken Whisenhunt is 0-2 against both Fox and the Panthers as a head coach.

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

Arizona amassed the second-most passing yards in the NFL (292.1 ypg) during the regular season, and the Panthers got a first-hand look at how dangerous the Cardinals can be through the air in the teams' Week 8 encounter. Warner (4583 passing yards, 30 TD, 14 INT) completed 35-of-49 passes for 381 yards on the Carolina defense, with wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald (96 receptions, 1431 yards, 12 TD), Steve Breaston (77 receptions, 1006 yards, 3 TD) and Boldin (89 receptions, 1038 yards, 11 TD) all enjoying productive days in the narrow loss. It would surprise no one if Boldin, one of the game's unquestioned warriors, suits up for Saturday's tilt, but it's hard to expect the sure-handed star to be in top form with his injury. Breaston has proven to be more than capable in a starting role during a breakout campaign, however, and special-teamer Jerheme Urban (34 receptions, 4 TD) has acquitted himself well in limited duty as a slot receiver. Warner, a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback with St. Louis, owns a 6-2 career playoff record as a starter.

Although the Cardinals have been overly reliant on the pass this season, the offense has been able to show greater balance in recent weeks. Running back Edgerrin James (514 rushing yards, 3 TD, 12 receptions), freshened up by a lengthy benching in favor of rookie Tim Hightower (399 rushing yards, 10 TD, 34 receptions), came through with a 14-carry, 100-yard effort versus Seattle in Week 17 and followed up by rushing for 73 yards on 16 touches in the Wild Card win. Arizona averaged a league-worst 73.6 rushing yards per game and a subpar 3.5 yards per attempt in the regular season, but managed a more respectable 86 yards on the ground against Atlanta last week.

The Cardinals had major troubles running the ball in their late-October meeting with Carolina, however, with James and Hightower combining for a meager 20 yards on 13 carries. The Panthers haven't been so stout in that area as of late, though, having been gashed for 301 rushing yards in a critical late-season loss to the New York Giants and allowing a startling 6.8 yards per attempt over their final two games. Those poor numbers underscore the value of massive defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu (36 tackles), who sat out both tests with a sprained ankle but should be ready to go on Saturday. Fellow interior plugger Damione Lewis (43 tackles, 3.5 sacks) is also slated to return after missing the finale due to an ailing shoulder. Carolina's leading tacklers are young linebackers Jon Beason (138 tackles, 3 INT) and Thomas Davis (113 tackles, 3.5 sacks), a pair of former first-round picks with outstanding range.

Warner received excellent protection from his offensive line in last weekend's big win, and tackles Mike Gandy and Levi Brown will need to maintain that high level of play in Saturday's challenging matchup against Carolina's pass- rushing tandem of ends Julius Peppers (51 tackles, 5 forced fumbles) and Charles Johnson (25 tackles, 6 sacks). Peppers posted a personal-best 14 1/2 sacks in the regular season to garner a fourth career Pro Bowl nod, while Johnson took down Warner twice in October's win over the Cards. If Warner gets sufficient time, he's well-equipped to exploit a Panthers' defense that ranked 16th against the pass (211.7 ypg) in 2008. Cornerback Chris Gamble (93 tackles, 3 INT, 18 PD) is the secondary's top cover man and tied for the team lead in interceptions with Beason, who had a crucial pick of Warner in the fourth quarter of the teams' previous meeting.

WHEN THE PANTHERS HAVE THE BALL

Whereas the Cardinals are more proficient at beating the opposition through the air, Carolina's offensive strength is a highly-effective running game that has produced an average of 152.3 yards per week (3rd overall). Primary back DeAngelo Williams (1515 rushing yards, 22 receptions, 20 total TD) delivered a superb season in which the shifty third-year pro had seven 100-yard outings over the final nine games, capped by a 25-carry, 178-yard eruption against New Orleans in Week 17. Rookie Jonathan Stewart (836 rushing yards, 10 TD, 8 receptions) has been a very good backfield complement for a Panthers club that is 12-2 this year when gaining over 100 rushing yards in a game. A sturdy offensive line could be without one regular on Saturday, as right guard Geoff Hangartner sprained an ankle in the New Orleans game and is questionable to play.

Arizona's defense will be hoping to repeat its success of a week ago, when the unit limited Atlanta's potent ground attack to a mere 60 yards on 24 tries. Linebackers Karlos Dansby (119 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 INT) and Gerald Hayes (88 tackles, 0.5 sacks) led the charge with eight and six tackles, respectively, while athletic tackle Darnell Dockett (49 tackles, 4 sacks) was a disruptive force in the Falcons' backfield all game long. The Cardinals also sport an accomplished run-stopping safety in Adrian Wilson (75 tackles, 2 INT, 2.5 sacks), who's been named to the Pro Bowl in two of the last three years.

The Cardinals can't solely focus on Williams and Stewart, however, when the Panthers also possess one of the NFL's most feared game-changers in wide receiver Steve Smith (78 receptions, 1421 yards, 6 TD). The Pro Bowl honoree recorded five 100-yard games over the season's last six weeks and also burned Arizona for 117 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 65-yard score late in the third quarter, in Carolina's Week 8 victory. Quarterback Jake Delhomme (3288 passing yards, 15 TD, 12 INT) completed 20-of-28 passes for 248 yards in that game and is a proven playoff performer, having thrown for 11 touchdowns and just five interceptions in seven prior postseason tilts. Veteran wideout Muhsin Muhammad (65 receptions, 5 TD) also has plenty of playoff experience and provides a reliable secondary target within the Panthers' passing game.

Although Arizona was hardly invincible in defending the pass during the regular season, having given up a league-worst 36 touchdown via the air and an average of 220.4 passing yards per game (22nd overall), the team did a very solid job last Saturday. The Cardinals held the Falcons to 190 net passing yards and intercepted young quarterback Matt Ryan twice, with rookie corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (42 tackles, 4 INT, 19 PD) snaring one of those picks. The first-round draft choice was also credited with 10 tackles and three passes defensed in an impressive postseason debut. End Bertrand Berry (22 tackles, 5 sacks) and outside linebacker Chike Okeafor (60 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 INT) have been the Cards' most consistent pass rushers, and each had a sack of Ryan last week.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Carolina seems to have the advantage here. Kasay has been practically automatic on field goals, with the longtime Panther having converted 28-of-31 tries in the regular season and all 15 of his attempts at home. Kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd has booted a league-best 30 touchbacks to further aid a solid coverage unit, while Mark Jones (24.0 KR avg., 11.4 PR avg.) came through with a strong year as well handling returns. Carolina's only glaring deficiency was in punt protection, as Jason Baker (44.1 avg.) had three kicks blocked during the course of the year.

Arizona has struggled in special teams coverage, having surrendered poor averages of 13.1 yards per punt return and 25 yards on kickoffs in the regular season. The team also ranked next-to-last in the NFL in net punting (34.1 avg.), although midseason addition Ben Graham (42.5 avg.) did put four of six kicks inside the 20-yard line in the Wild Card game. Kicker Neil Rackers has a strong leg and made 25-of-28 field goal attempts prior to the playoffs, while backup running back J.J. Arrington averaged a healthy 25.6 yards on kick returns and took one for a touchdown.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Last weekend's win was most encouraging for the Cardinals, because the team was able to display proficiency in two areas -- running the football and playing good defense -- that have been very hit-or-miss throughout this season. Whether Arizona can show that same commitment and discipline against a Carolina squad that's been nearly unstoppable on offense over the season's second half, and smothered the Cardinals' half-hearted attempt at a running game earlier this year, is another matter. The Cardinals were able to capitalize on mistakes by a young Atlanta team a week ago, but likely won't get those opportunities from the Panthers, who are playoff-tested and haven't lost on their home grounds all year long. Throw in Arizona's dubious history on the East Coast, and it's hard to envision the visitors coming away with the upset.

My Sportsbook Predicted Outcome: Panthers 34, Cardinals 24