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When the Carolina Panthers lost at home to Buffalo five weeks ago, I wrote that their season had ended. When the Panthers drew in, covered up and cowered up in a loss to New Orleans two weeks later, I wrote that their season had still ended.
Technically, however, the season has not ended. The Panthers are 4-6. If they win their remaining six games, they'll go 10-6. Every NFC team that has finished 10-6 the past five seasons has made the playoffs.
"I don't think 9-7 will be enough this year," says Carolina defensive tackle Damione Lewis. "We have to win out."
Three factors work against the Panthers winning out.
1. Their longest winning streak is two games, and they amassed the streak against homecoming-quality opponents Washington and Tampa Bay.
2. The Panthers will be underdogs in five of the six. The New York Jets, for example, are a 3-point favorite today in New Jersey.
3. Despite what we choose to believe every time the Panthers win, they aren't very good.
But sports were once where the improbable occurred. Let's return to that hallowed ground, which these days is populated mainly by 10-year-olds, and see if it still exists for the rest of us.
CAROLINA 16, NEW YORK JETS 14
Some of you older fans will remember when New York's Rex Ryan was the hot new coach, Mark Sanchez was the hot new quarterback and the Jets were the hot new team.
The Jets have lost three straight games at home, however, and six of their last seven overall. They even lost a home game to Buffalo. You know how bad you have to be to lose at home to Buffalo?
Steve Smith will catch a 17-yard third-down pass over the middle to set up John Kasay's winning field goal from the New York 25 with less than three minutes remaining.
CAROLINA 30, TAMPA BAY 21
The game is in Charlotte. Tampa Bay's last road win was against Detroit, and that was more than a year ago. For the first time all season the Panthers attain .500.
CAROLINA 21, NEW ENGLAND 20
Here's an encouraging sign. The game is in New England and the Panthers have never lost in New England.
Sorry. That's all I have.
CAROLINA 31, MINNESOTA 30
Suddenly the Panthers are the team nobody wants to play. The Vikings have beaten only one team all season with a winning record, and that's Green Bay. Carolina is now 7-6.
Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen is so disruptive that Carolina middle linebacker Jon Beason asks, "I wonder who threatened to take him to lunch?"
Yet Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre throws three interceptions, two of which set up Carolina touchdowns, and Kasay kicks a 53-yard field goal with four seconds remaining.
CAROLINA 23, NEW YORK GIANTS 17
The Giants come in with five straight losses. The Panthers make it six.
The passion back in the Carolinas is such that a guy who regularly posts on Panther message boards uses his real name.
CAROLINA 35, NEW ORLEANS 33
The Saints no longer are playing to finish the season undefeated (they lose to New England by two points on Nov. 30) and pull their starters early. The subs play loose and well, but Jake Delhomme has his best game of the season. He throws three touchdown passes, one of them 77 yards on a slant to Smith.
Somebody with excessive spare time starts a Web site called, BringbackJake.com.
"We always loved that guy," he says, and everybody agrees.
The Panthers make the playoffs. They open against Arizona in Glendale on Jan. 9.
