The Arizona Cardinals were expected by most to be easy prey in another futile trip to the East Coast.

Instead, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals are a victory away from their first Super Bowl appearance — with a big assist from Jake Delhomme and the bumbling Carolina Panthers.

The once discarded Warner was steady in a 33-13 rout of the Panthers on Saturday night, throwing two touchdown passes, while Delhomme threw five interceptions and lost a fumble.

The target of jokes for years with their history of ineptitude, the Cardinals became the last NFC team to reach the conference championship since the 1970 merger with a win few saw coming.