Guess which team NOBODY is talking about right now? They are 8-2, 3rd best team in the NFL. They've blown out several teams and have found ways to win when they are not playing their best. Still don't know? Not many do, but it's the Carolina Panthers who have quietly become one of the league's best teams after a disappointing 7-9 campaign last year. I'm sure the Panthers are fine with that. With everybody talking about the Titans and Giants (deservedly) and the NFC East (overrated) the Panthers are sitting right below the radar.
Following a disappointingly ugly win on the road against the Raiders last week (Jake, seriously?), Carolina found themselves down 10-0 early against the hapless Lions....that was until the Panthers figured out the Lions couldn't stop a JV team's running game. I mean, seriously, Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are talented backs, but I don't see how you give up 250 yards and 3 TDs on the ground. Oh, and it took just 30 carries to do that! It reminded me of that absolute beatdown the Panthers handed the Redskins in the preseason. Oh, and let's not forget about Julius Peppers, who is playing like a man amongst children as he had 2 more sacks and 2 more forced fumbles. Let's hope he stays hot.
The Panthers, though, played down the Lions allowed them to stay in the game most of the way. Jake Delhomme was victimized by some dropped passes, as he threw for under 100 yards 2 games in row, challenging David Carr. But, when you gain 264 yards on the ground, you don't need to pass. Still, it would be nice to see the Steve Smith/Jake Delhomme connection get rolling again, especially with the nearly brutal schedule coming up for the Panthers.
Next week, the Panthers can all but knock the 6-4 Falcons out of the NFC South/Wildcard race with a victory this weekend. Should the Panthers win, they will have essentially a 4 game lead on the Dirty Birds (3 official plus the tiebreaker). Maybe then, the media will stop talking about Matt Ryan and the Falcons (who get more love than the Panthers, who soundly beat Atlanta 24-9 already...) It should be a tough, interesting game.
My Pick: Panthers 24, Falcons 13
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