It’s kind of ridiculous that the Panthers are still scraping to secure the division at 11-4, with the Arizona Cardinals floundering at 8-7 yet locked in for a home playoff game, but hey, that’s just the way it goes. The Panthers face a must win Sunday against the Saints, because a Carolina loss and a Falcons win (they play the Rams by the way) puts Atlanta atop the division and Carolina on the outside track to the Super Bowl with the number 5 seed in the NFC. The Panthers are in desperate need of that first round bye with both of their starting defensive tackles banged up.
The one thing the Panthers might have going for them is Drew Brees is withing reach of Dan Marino’s passing record, needing 402 yards to hold the record. If both of the Panthers tackles are out, it may not make that much of a difference if Sean Peyton and New Orleans focuses on breaking the record rather than winning the game. But with Pierre Thomas playing very well, the Panthers might be facing a uphill battle. The offense may have to step it up again Sunday with the way the defense has been playing the last couple of weeks. Oh, and one other thing I forgot to mention, the Panthers are playing at New Orleans, so they would need to beat a division rival on the road, something that hasn’t been done by any NFC South team.
Keys to the Game
1. Pound the Rock- Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball. As hot as DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are right now, it makes no sense for the Panthers to try and come out throwing the ball. DeAngelo Williams put himself in the MVP conversation with his performance last week against the Giants, so l say just give the ball to him. Running the ball should allow the Panthers to control time of possession and keep Drew Brees off the field, which is crucial as the Saints are 1st in the league in total offense.
2.Bend but don’t break- Drew Brees will most likely come out firing, so it’s best that the Panthers just keep that bend but don’t break mentality. It’s okay if the Saint’s move the ball down the field, their going to do that. The key will be holding the Saints to field goals rather than touchdowns, something that hurt the Panthers against the Giants. If the Panthers keep everything in front of them and just don’t get beat deep, they should give Julius Peppers some time to work on Drew Brees and contain the Saint’s high powered offense.
3. Don’t Get Hurt- Okay so it’s impossible for Carolina to control injuries on the field, but they cannot afford to get anyone hurt, specifically Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, Julius Peppers, or anyone of the offensive line. The Panthers are certainly hot at the right time, but they can’t afford any injuries at this point in the season.
I suppose it’s possible that the Falcons could loose the game against the Rams, but the Panthers have to go into the game Sunday thinking it is a must win. The last time the Panthers were in this situation they annihilated the Falcons to lock up the number five seed in 2005. Let’s hope Sunday has a similar result.
Injuries
Both of the Panther’s starting defensive tackles are hurt, Damione Lewis is doubtful with a hand injury and Maake Kemoeatu is questionable. Darwin Walker and either Nick Hayden or J’Vonne Parker will fill in for the tackles if they can’t go.
Panthers 35, Saints 30
