The Carolina Panthers are running out of chances to live up to all of that preseason Super Bowl hype. Their season is down to one desperate game, a near must-win scenario against the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow at the Georgia Dome to clinch a playoff berth.
A victory and the Panthers are in. A loss would force the Panthers to wait out the final day and hope a playoff contender such as Dallas or Washington drops out.
The Panthers have forced this tense ending. Although 10-5, they have lost two of their last three games to keep from winning the National Football Conference South division title and easing into the postseason with home-field advantage. Now they have created their own worst-case scenario.
Win at the Georgia Dome? The Dome is the site of some of the most painful and embarrassing losses in Carolina history. The Panthers are 1-9 at the Dome, with their victory coming in 1997 with Kerry Collins at quarterback.
"I think that was my rookie year," Panthers safety Mike Minter said after practice Wednesday. "We won by a field goal. Yeah, I remember that game a lot."
Minter is one of the few Panthers remaining from that era. Kicker John Kasay, who is still with Carolina, had the winning field goal that day in a 9-6 victory over Atlanta. Since then, the Panthers have lost close games and blowouts there, from a 41-0 defeat in 2002 to overtime losses in 2003 and 2004.
"It's going to be tough," Minter said. "Those guys are going to be fired up. They're going to be trying to put us out."
Although the Panthers can make the playoffs even if they lose, they have arguably the toughest opponent among the playoff contenders shuffling atop the NFC. Washington and Dallas are both 9-6. But the Redskins play a fading Philadelphia team that is 6-9, and Dallas plays host to St. Louis, which is 5-10. Even Tampa Bay, which still needs to win or hope for a Panthers loss to clinch the NFC South division title, has an easier game. The Bucs play New Orleans, which is 3-12.
The Panthers are the only contender facing an opponent with a winning record. Atlanta is 8-7 and seeking to erase its own history of futility. Although the Falcons were eliminated from the playoff picture last weekend, a victory against the Panthers would mean Atlanta would finish with a winning record two years in a row for the first time in franchise history.
It did not have to be this way for Carolina.
"We had control of that, and we messed it up," defensive end Mike Rucker said. "It was there; we didn't seize the moment. So we're in this situation, and we've got to fight our way out of it."
Indeed, after a convincing 24-6 victory against Atlanta and their personal nemesis, Michael Vick, on Dec. 4 at Bank of America Stadium, the Panthers were 9-4 with every hope of winning the NFC South for the second time in three years. But that was before losses to Tampa Bay on Dec. 11 and Dallas last Saturday muddled the division and conference races.
Despite their history at the Georgia Dome, there is still hope among the Panthers. Asked if the Panthers had finally solved Vick, Carolina Coach John Fox was typically noncommittal. "We did that day," he allowed.
If they can do it again and solve the Georgia Dome jinx, the Panthers will find themselves in the playoffs.
The Chicago Bears own the NFL's stingiest defense, having allowed just 168 points this season. And with the return of Rex Grossman as their starting quarterback, the Bears believe they have increased their chances of reaching the Super Bowl.
RSS