CHARLOTTE – For the first time in franchise history, the Carolina Panthers will host the NFC Championship.
The second-seeded Arizona Cardinals will visit the top-seeded Panthers next Sunday at 6:40 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be broadcast by FOX. Championship Sunday will kick off at 3 p.m. with the Denver Broncos hosting the New England Patriots for the AFC title on CBS.
Carolina advanced to the fourth NFC title game in team history but the first since 2005 with a 31-24 triumph over the two-time reigning NFC champion Seattle Seahawks. The day before, the Cardinals advanced with a 26-20 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers.
The Panthers hosted Arizona in a Wild Card game last season and defeated the Cardinals 27-16 before falling at Seattle the next week in the NFC Divisional round. This will mark the third playoff meeting against Arizona -- all at home -- with the teams splitting the first two.
A limited number of single-game tickets for the NFC Championship sold out in about three minutes Sunday evening. "We appreciate the tremendous support we have seen all season and look forward to a strong homefield advantage," said Phil Youtsey, the Panthers' executive director of ticketing and sponsorship.
