In these days of uncertainty, when the temptation to overreact is higher than normal, it's time for an NFL perspective check.
The Carolina Panthers stunk Sunday at Tampa Bay, but that doesn't mean they stink.
They're 4-2, tied for first place in the NFC South, had two dramatic come-from-behind wins (San Diego and Chicago) and the largest blowout victory in franchise history (34-0 over Kansas City).
Yes, they were dreadful during their 27-3 loss to the Buccaneers.
Yes, it was the opposite extreme of their drubbing of the Chiefs just one week earlier.
But to focus in on the Tampa Bay game like it's the season's most defining moment – just listen, there's plenty of doomsday talk in the air – is short-sighted.
“The sky's not falling, and it's not the end of the world,” coach John Fox said Monday. “In this league, they don't keep style points. Whether it's four or 40 (points), it's still a loss.”
Recent history provides plenty of reason for not throwing the Panthers overboard.
Each of the past three Super Bowl champions had one or two games during their title-winning seasons when they were just as dreadful.
In 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to Indianapolis 26-7 in late November. The victory moved the Colts to 11-0 and made the Steelers 7-4. But less than three months later, the Steelers were hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy.
In 2006, the Colts gave up 375 rushing yards in a 44-17 loss to Jacksonville in early December. They managed to survive that embarrassment, improved their run defense and won the Super Bowl.
Last season, the New York Giants started out 0-2, including a 35-13 loss at home to Green Bay. About two months later, they were thrashed 41-17 at home against Minnesota. Quarterback Eli Manning threw four interceptions that day, and three were returned for touchdowns.
Yet, Manning went on to win the Super Bowl MVP award as the Giants shocked previously unbeaten New England.
The point here is that crazy things happen in the NFL. Good teams, even semi-great ones, can have a horrible day and still fulfill their destiny.
We get aggravated with Wall Street brokers and investors for falling for panic-driven frenzies.
Perhaps our recent gas shortage could have been less severe if we'd avoided a run on the pumps when our tanks already were half full.
The same principle applies in sports.
So the best thing to do is to chill out, acknowledge an awful day and see what happens the next two weeks at home against New Orleans and Arizona.
Neither of those will be easy matchups. Both teams have exciting offenses led by red-hot quarterbacks – Drew Brees of the Saints and Kurt Warner of the Cardinals.
If the Panthers lose both to fall to 4-4, that's clearly cause for concern.
But if they win both to reach the halfway point of the season at 6-2, the loss at Tampa will seem a lot more like an aberration than it does now.
Charles Chandler: 704-358-5123.
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