Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton hails defense after Arizona Cardinals win

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has hailed his side's defense in their playoff win over the Arizona Cardinals as Ron Rivera's men booked their place in the divisional round.

The Panthers made life extremely difficult for third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley as they produced two turnovers to aid their offense to fire themselves into last four of the NFC conference race courtesy of a 27-16 victory at Bank of America Stadium.

"When those guys play like that, it makes it easier on us on our part," Newton said. "Those guys did everything, turnovers, they stopped them.

"That is championship football right there and we've got to do our part offensively to put points up on the board."

The Panthers will play the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round at CenturyLink Field.