Panthers Talking Point: Playoffs Still A Possibility
- Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:10 PM
- Written By: NFL Blog Blitz
The Carolina Panthers have found a way to re-enter the playoff picture in the NFC, albeit from an outsider's perspective.
With a good amount of help Sunday, their win against the visiting Falcons pulled them to within one win of the final NFC Wild Card spot. There is currently a log jam of 5-4 teams that includes Philadelphia, New York, Green Bay and Atlanta. The Panthers are one of three 4-5 teams that will be trying to claw their way through the ranks and into the postseason.
Carolina has a short week this week, squaring off with Miami on NFL Network's Thursday Night Football, and then will head to New York to take on the Jets, their first of three northeastern trips in the final weeks of the season.
There is no question that the Panthers are playing better football at this point in the season than they were at the beginning of the year, but the problem now is the injuries that are starting to mount. Carolina has already lost LB Thomas Davis and LT Jordan Gross for the year in the last two weeks, and both of those guys were playing at a Pro Bowl-caliber level.
Only time will tell how the Panthers' backups fare during the thick of the season and whether these losses will cost them a shot at the playoffs. One thing is certain, however, and that is the fact that the Panthers cannot afford to lose another starter at this point in the season.
-- AUSTIN PENNY
