K Major

Side note on the upcoming teams we face...

Week 15 @ Carolina - guys on the Panthers squad will be auditioning for jobs so expect us to get their best ... both times.

Week 16 Pittsburgh ...

Not sure what to make on this Steeler team. They are hot/cold (see last nights loss to SD) .. Dr. Jeykl/Mr. Hyde. If they have an "off night", we could do damage in the dome.

If the Saints OFFENSE bring their A game like the defense has done the last few weeks .. .we'll be in great shape. Guys aren't running on this defense. See Todd Gurley and Zeke Elliot.

CharityMike

The Panthers will be tough just because it is a division game. I have watched there last 2 games, you stop McCaffrey, you stop them. Something is screwy with scam newtons shoulder. I think our D can handle them.

One other note on them. They have now lost 4 straight and are in a tail spin. If they loose again next week, I think that makes our chances better. Oh and, they just lost Greg Olson for the season. The 2 games against them suddenly don't feel so daunting.

dam1953

I agree. It looks like the Panthers are a one-man show. Olson was one of our bigger coverage problems. With him out, things get a bit easier. I'm confident we can stop McCaffery running the ball. Covering him out of the backfield may be more of a challenge. Then again, we did shut down Gurley.

K Major

I'm not sure where Brandon Marshall is in his playbook study however I'd like to see him play vs the Bucs on Sunday. When the playoffs roll around, D coordinators will try and bully those young rookie WR's.

Toughness and a big body presence in the red zone is needed.

foreverfan

All we have to do is win one game and we are the #2 seed.
This takes all the pressure off us and keeps it on the Rams.
Consider... with our schedule we have a 10% of winning home field advantage.

CharityMike

I just saw this:


Panthers make changes on defensive staff
Posted by Darin Gantt on December 3, 2018, 10:17 AM EST

The Panthers are making some changes in midseason, if not the big names some of the locals are looking for.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Panthers have fired “multiple assistant coaches,” including defensive line coach Brady Hoke and cornerbacks coach Jeff Imamura.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera has had to scramble a bit to keep his staff filled in recent years, losing coordinators Sean McDermott and Steve Wilks in back-to-back years to head coaching jobs. Wilks then took longtime linebackers coach Al Holcomb with him to Arizona as his coordinator, and Rivera was forced to backfill quickly.

That made former line coach Eric Washington (who is very good as a position coach) their coordinator, and there have been struggles in his first year. Hoke was tabbed late to replace Washington, and Imamura was hired after former defensive backs coach Curtis Fuller resigned following some improper workplace behavior.

The net effect has been a defense that has struggled during a four-game losing streak.

UPDATE 10:22 a.m. ET: The Panthers announced the moves, and said that Rivera will handle play-calling while Washington oversees the front seven.

“In my judgment, I felt this was best for the team moving forward,” Rivera said in a statement. “These are always difficult decisions, and I thank Brady and Jeff for their hard work. Ultimately, I’m charged with putting the team in the best position to succeed, and I felt these moves were necessary in order to do that.”

K Major

Saw that but what about Fig Newton and all those INT's on offense? He was very careless with the football on yesterday.

CharityMike

Yep, thats why I said something is up with ole Scam. Wondering if he aggravated the shoulder procedure he had in the off season.

yungbreesus

i just gotta say, vying for a playoff bye, while stressful, feels really good. here's to winning out, and another month of wild upsets for the rest of the league

foreverfan

Damn Mike... Where did you get that A$$ on your avatar again?