Panthers Tracks: Why what happens vs. the Saints is so important for Carolina
The Panthers have an opportunity.
It sounds strange after their devastating 29-3 loss to the Falcons at home last week, but there it is.
It would be easy to stay focused on Carolina’s loss to Atlanta, and there is certainly plenty of bad (and a couple of good) things to take away from that game.
But that outcome made what comes next that much more important for the Panthers.
Of the six games left on their schedule, five are against the NFC. Three of those happen to be against NFC South opponents.
The Panthers sit at 5-5 with a 2-5 record vs. the NFC. That leaves them in ninth place, 2.5 games out of the final wild-card spot. They’ve lost three of their last four and two of those have been … not competitive.
So why is what happens next so important?
Well, the Panthers have a date scheduled in New Orleans on Sunday that will likely give some idea if they have a shot of sneaking into the playoff picture or if this season’s end will more closely resemble last year.
With this weekend featuring the first of two games against the Saints, and a matchup with the Seahawks on the horizon, Carolina is still in control of how its season ends. But only if things go well Sunday.
“Probably the biggest thing more so than anything else is that we control it,” coach Ron Rivera said. “It’s one game at a time, one focus at a time. That’s probably the biggest thing we have to do is focus on the next opponent and that’s just getting ready for New Orleans. ... Everything is in front of us, we play the Saints twice, we get another shot at Atlanta and we got a couple other teams coming up we’ve got to be able to go out and play well against.”
Playing well against the Saints isn’t necessarily something the Panthers have a history of. Carolina has lost four of its last six against New Orleans, including two of its last three on the road.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that one of those wins at the Superdome came from Kyle Allen in Week 17 last year. Allen threw for 228 and two touchdowns in his first career start to end the Panthers’ season on a high note following a seven-game losing streak.
After losing three of their last four, the Panthers are in need of a bounceback win. It may be their last chance.
“Everybody just throws a pep rally for ‘keep fighting.’ What are we supposed to do (besides try to bounce back)? There’s no other option,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “That’s the expectation at this level. That’s the expectation I would imagine on every team. If you lose that, you’ve got big problems and we’ve shown over the years we’re pretty resilient. We don’t have any ‘quit.’ We don’t have any guys that pack it in. And we see the thing through to the end.”
Game time
Panthers at Saints
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Superdome
Watch/Listen: Fox/1110 AM
Injury update
Panthers injury report as of Thursday afternoon:
Did not participate: Ross Cockrell (quad).
Limited participation: Gerald McCoy (knee), Dennis Daley (groin), Eric Reid (knee), Shaq Thompson (ankle).
Full participation: Brian Burns (wrist), Greg Little (knee).
Required reading
+ Sorensen: A pragmatic David Tepper has a Ron Rivera decision coming
+ Analysis: Ron Rivera’s future with Panthers will be determined by showing Tepper he’s not mediocre
+ David Tepper unplugged: Panthers owner riffs on QBs, stadiums and what he despises most
+ Some light is finally shed on Cam Newton’s future in Carolina
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 4:00 AM.
