COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

CARDINALS 33 PANTHERS 13 Every year a team seemingly comes out of nowhere, that nobody talks about, finds a way to not only win in the postseason but make histroy by doing it. The Cardinals, who are the NFL's oldest franchise and one of six teams to have never played in a Super Bowl will be going to the NFC Championship Game for the first time ever. The Cardinals dominated the Carolina Panthers 33-13, as they tormented Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, picking off the quarterback five times and stripping him for a fumble. As a result, the Cards scored 23 points off Carolina turnovers on the evening and look like world beaters after everyone counted them out before the playoffs started. If you need to know how much the Cards were expected to lose today, in the New York Post the paper listed the betting lines to win the Super Bowl for each of the remaining eight teams; the Cardinals were 35-1! After a quick start by Carolina, the Cardinals settled down and set the tone. The Cards a...

Some consider divisional weekend in the NFL playoffs the best week of football since it pits the so- called top seeds against some red hot wild card winners from the week before. This is the week people start to look for upsets. Which top seed will go down? Which wild card team will run the table? These questions and more will be asked in this weekend, as the NFL paints the pitcure for the final four. RAVENS (12-5) @ TITANS (13-3): Eight years ago the Ravens were in a very familiar position. After winning their wild card game against the Denver Broncos that year, the Ravens traveled to Tennessee to take on the defending AFC champion Titans. Everyone expected Tennessee to run all over the Ravens; instead, the lasting image from that divisional playoff game is Ray Lewis running back a Steve McNair interception for a touchdown as Baltimore romped Tennessee en route to their first ever Super Bowl title. This year, Baltimore is hoping for similar magic. The Ravens defense is as n asty as t...

GIANTS 31 PANTHERS 28 OVERTIME Champions are not always great; they are only great when the have to be. That is the phrase that best describes the 2008 New York Giants. After a PR disaster that was the Plaxico Burress/Antonio Pierce mess, and a two game losing streak, the Giants got right back on track with a classic 31-28 overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers. The win secured home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs for Big Blue, meaning that the next time the Giants hit the road after their game in Minnesota, it will have to be in Tampa Bay for Super Bowl XLIII. Unlike last year, the Giants will play all their playoff games at Giants Stadium this January. The Giants did not get off to a good start in this one. The Panthers had their way with the Giants in the first half, as DeAngelo Williams and Jonahtan Stewart ate up the Giants defense, something we have not seen from any Giant opponent this season. Williams rushed for 103 yards in the game with four touchdowns. Meanw...