NFC Divisional Round Preview

Could Hackett Be Done With the Panthers After This Season?

From: Pro Football Weekly

Sources in Carolina say it may be one-year-and-done for WR D.J. Hackett with the Panthers. Hackett continued to be plagued by injuries throughout the season, appearing in nine games and starting only two after he was signed to compete with Muhsin Muhammad for the No. 2 receiver role. The Panthers still have high expectations for Dwayne Jarrett, a second-round pick in 2007, and Muhammad is expected to return as the complement to Steve Smith, although “Moose” will be 36 in May so Hackett, who signed a two-year deal in March, could end up being the odd man out in the WR

Panthers to Lock Up with Cardinals in Divisional Matchup

The Panthers had a chance to sit back and wait out the weekend to see who they would play Saturday at Bank of America Stadium, and it’s official - the team will rematch the Arizona Cardinals.  The Panthers topped Arizona 27-23 back on October 26th at home in a game where they had to rally back after falling behind early.  The Cards beat the Falcons on Saturday, and the Eagles win over the Vikings means they will head to New York to play the Giants Sunday.  The Panthers are early three-point favorites to win Saturday night.

Fox Not Worried About Recent Defensive Problems

From: Yahoo! Sports

The Panthers have reasons to be concerned about their defense, but coach John Fox claims not to be worried. The Panthers have been giving up points (29 per game) and yards (394.8 per game) at an alarming rate over the past six games and they’ve been victimized by both the run and the pass. But Fox attributes that to the Panthers playing a tough schedule against five teams ranking in the top eight in the league in offense - New Orleans (1st), Denver (2nd), Atlanta (6th), N.Y. Giants (7th) Green Bay (8th) - and another that ranks 14th (Tampa Bay).

“When you come down the stretch with five games to finish the season—at Green Bay, which is no box of chocolates, Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Bucs, the No. 2 offense in the NFL in Denver and you’ve got to go to the New York Giants, the defending world champions, and then you’ve got to go on the road and win, which hasn’t been done this season in our (division) and you go 4-1, I ‘m not concerned with much.”

Steve Smith to Return Punts in the Playoffs?

From: Yahoo! Sports

The Panthers gave potential playoff opponents something else to prepare for in the postseason when they lined up Steve Smith as a punt returner on Sunday during the second half against New Orleans. Smith, a former Pro Bowl returner before emerging into a star receiver, returned just one punt. It’s the only punt he’s returned all season. “I think he’s a guy that’s been pretty adequate at that position,” Fox said. “As we get into (the playoffs), that may or may not be something we look at. We didn’t want the playoffs to be the first time he did it. He’s practiced it in practice, but there’s nothing like being out there in a game, and we wanted to get a look at that in a game situation.”

Not to Be Denied: Panthers Win the South w/ 33-31 Win

“Not to be denied”… that was Muhsin Muhammad’s mantra in the locker room after the Panthers’ stirring win in New Orleans.

Whew… another dramatic ending for the Carolina Panthers. Fortunately for Carolina fans, the Cardiac Cats got the long end of the stick this week - they defeated the New Orleans Saints, 33-31, at the Superdome. The win in the Big Easy is a feat in itself, being that this is the first time this season that a team from the NFC South has beaten a division rival on the road. Moreover, the division’s 11-1 record amongst each other at home further suggests that the South is the class of the conference. Carolina ensured themselves of a home playoff game, which bodes well for them as they are the only NFL team to boast an 8-0 home record; and more importantly, also ensures that beloved team owner Jerry Richardson will get to attend the game, as he awaits a donor for a heart transplant.

Prolific passer Drew Brees of the Saints came within 16 yards of breaking Dan Marino’s record, thanks largely to Carolina letting him throw for 153 yards in the 4th quarter. It was popular opinion that New Orleans would probably attempt to pound the ball up Carolina’s middle, much like the Giants did last week, and abandon their potent passing attack in the absence of defensive starters Ma’ake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis. However, they only achieved 50 yards rushing, and of course there was every incentive to give Brees a chance to break the record, especially at home.

While gaining 178 yards on the ground, DeAngelo Willams broke legendary Panther Stephen Davis’ milestone of 1,444 yards in 2003 (I think that legendary is appropriate for Davis because he was an extremely important part of the Panthers’ 2003 Super Bowl run.) Williams rushed for 1,515 yards this season, setting a new single-season record, and garnered a lofty league-leading twenty touchdowns.

Stellar rookie running back Jonathan Stewart rushed for his 10th touchdown, while ending the season with 836 yards; he surpassed Fred Lane’s rookie milestone of 809 yards, and claimed his own record.

The “Double Trouble” duo of Williams and Stewart (the new nickname for the tandem was unveiled after the game by Williams) helped the Panthers achieve a franchise record 2,437 rushing yards this season.

It was a game of redemption… Steve Smith ironically redeemed his costly holding penalty in the waning moments of last week’s game with an incredulous 39-yard grab to salvage the game for the Panthers. Carolina had been leading 23-3 in the first half of the game, only to allow New Orleans to pull ahead of them 31-30, with 3:11 left in the fourth quarter. This time Smith’s contribution extended the drive, and helped get John Kasay in field goal range to win the game. Also curious was Kasay’s 50-yard attempt last Sunday was no good, sending them to impending doom in overtime with the Giants. Kasay calmly kicked this week’s game-winning 42-yarder with :01 left on the clock, sending the Panthers to the postseason in high style with the division crown, a home playoff game, and a first-round bye. Thank you, Mr. Kasay.

Smith finished with 5 catches for 134 yards, and Muhsin Muhammad grabbed 7 for 79; quarterback Jake Delhomme was efficient, completing 14 of 20 passes for 250 yards with 1 touchdown, and no interceptions. Apparently it was receiver D.J. Hackett’s turn to play, as Fox seems to be rotating him with Dwayne Jarrett almost weekly; he had two catches for the 37 yards.

Carolina safety Chris Harris had a key interception, and special teams stepped up with a forced fumble that was returned by CB Dante Wesley for a score.

The Panthers unfortunately left New Orleans with another pair of injured starters; prized offensive lineman Jeff Otah injured his toe, and versatile OL Geoff Hangartner tweaked his ankle.

Carolina has a week to get healthy, and prepare to play either the Minnesota Vikings or the winner of the Atlanta/Arizona game on Saturday, January 10th at 8:10pm.

Panthers Inactives for Today vs New Orleans

The Panthers have declared LB Adam Seward, DL Damione Lewis, WR Dwayne Jarrett, WR Kenneth Moore, DL Ma’ake Kemoeatu, OG Mackenzy Bernadeau, QB Matt Moore, SS Quinton Teal inactive for Week 17.

DT Kemoeatu Expects to Play Sunday vs Saints

From: Charlotte Observer

Defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu said Wednesday afternoon his injured ankle — specifically his Achilles tendon — is feeling better and he expects to play Sunday against the Saints. “I’m pretty close,” Kemoeatu said. “As far as right now, I think I can go Sunday. I was probably 60 or 70 percent last week, but I’m in the 90s now and should be 100 percent by Sunday.” Kemoeatu, who hadn’t missed a game in his two-plus seasons with the Panthers, twisted his ankle against the Denver Broncos two weeks ago, causing damage to the ligaments around his Achilles tendon.

DT Gary Gibson Placed on IR; Parker Signed

The Panthers today placed defensive tackle Gary Gibson on injured reserve with a hand injury. The team filled the roster spot Tuesday by signing J’Vonne Parker, who had been on Atlanta’s practice squad. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Parker has appeared in 11 games with Cleveland, Dallas and Baltimore since 2005.

Gibson backed up Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis, and saw action in Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants before injuring his hand. Kemoeatu didn’t play because of a sprained right ankle, and Lewis was sidelined in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury.

The injuries helped the Giants rush for 301 yards.

The Panthers also signed defensive tackle Lorenzo Williams to the practice squad.

Giants Pound Panthers 34-28 in OT

On a cold, blustery evening at Giants Stadium, the Carolina Panthers fell to the New York Giants, 34-28, in overtime. The Panthers put up a valiant effort, but they just could not stop New York’s vaunted running game, especially without mauler Ma’ake Kemoeatu to clog up the middle.

The Giants scored on their first drive, with a John Carney field goal, but Carolina quickly answered back with a DeAngelo Williams touchdown. New York scored their own TD in the second quarter, and Carolina again fired back with a Williams score. The Giants went 3 and out on their ensuing drive, handing the ball back over to Carolina, with third-year vet Williams finding the endzone again. New York gained another Carney field goal, with Carolina going into the half with a 21-13 lead.

Sounds pretty good for the Panthers, right? Not so much.

Carolina did not score again until the fourth quarter, with New York getting seven points in the third to make it 21-20. Panthers running back Williams scored his fourth touchdown, but the Giants came back with some big plays and managed to tie the game with a two-point conversion, with 3:24 left in regulation. Carolina faced some adversity on their last drive: a fumble by QB Delhomme, a holding penalty on Steve Smith; they were hoping to win the game with a 50-yard John Kasay field goal, but that wind would just not allow it, so the game went into overtime.

New York won the coin toss, but did nothing on their first drive; and Carolina had nothing to show for their first possession, either.
The Giants found their groove on their next series, though, and running back Derrick Ward rushed 17 yards to set up the winning 2-yard Brandon Jacobs run.

Game over, simple as that. New York now has the top seed and home field advantage for the NFC. But it’s not over by a long shot, folks. This may be just the kind of adversity that our Panthers need, to carry them through the postseason; they typically fare much better when the spotlight’s not on them. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated wrote in a piece last week that basically the No.1 seed is tantamount to a “road to nowhere”… that the last three Super Bowl winners were not the top seeds at all; moreover, they were No. 5, 3, and 6, respectively. Furthermore, our friend Mr. Banks makes also reminds us that “seven times in the first eight seasons of this decade, a No. 1 seed has lost the Super Bowl.”

Well, I don’t know about you, but that helps me sleep a little bit better tonight, after such a heartbreaking loss… perhaps this one will propel the Panthers to the Big One…not so unlike the champs of last year.