CAR @ OAK - second half test begins in the west

Hello CSR's,

With the bye week completed Carolina enters the second half of the season with some pretty high expectations. Often overlooked in the NFL are games like this one, where a division leader travels to play a poor, out of conference opponent. We frequently hear experts and fans say, "...it won't be the end of the world if they lose this one, because it's not against a division opponent." Or, "...they had a two game division lead, so they can afford... blah blah blah." Taking care of games like this one against Oakland (and next week against Detroit) are a must for teams with expectations for January and beyond.

CAR @ OAK

Our line: Carolina by 12

Carolina enters this game as our mid-season favorite to go to the Super Bowl in the NFC (they were our first quarter favorite too) and are coming off a bye. They are firmly planted in the top five of both Real Points (strength of schedule) and Win Grade (team fundamentals), while Oakland is rooted in the bottom ten of both and continues to waste more of their potential than any other team in the league. All of this would normally point to a solid 3 score or more blow-out, but there is something in Oakland's favor here; they got abused by Atlanta last week and were shutout in front of their home crowd, who let them have it. We expect Oakland to come into this game looking to redeem themselves, and ready to play with the respected Panthers. Expect RB's Fargas and Bush to have a solid if not gaudy performance against the Carolina defense, which should help QB Russell have a bad day rather than a completely dismal one. Look for a tight game through halftime, but for Carolina's superior play and talent to pull away in the 3rd and 4th quarters.

ITN rankings:

- Carolina #5 - Coming off their bye week the Carolina Injury report is free of names, which will help them take care of the two must win games in front of them. In order to win division titles and get bye's in the playoffs, teams cannot allow 'easy' wins to escape their grasps. Offense #20 | Defense #8 | Turnovers +1 | Chance of going to Super Bowl: 50%

- Oakland #27 - Was that really the same Oakland team that knocked off the NY Jets in overtime on the field against Atlanta? The run defense is playing very shoddy and is starting to adversely affect the secondary. Even more troublesome than that is the passing offense, which has struggled all year and shows no signs of improving. Offense #30 | Defense #26 | Turnovers +1 | Chance of going to Super Bowl: 0%