First, the Packers Game.

This game was a good game played by both teams, either team could have gone out that door this week with the W. But it was clear that the Panthers were not going to be denied. No matter how many times they scored Jake and our offense was going to score right back at them. Our defense made a huge stop in the endzone when it counted, and that led to the final touchdown by Williams that finally sealed the day for the Panthers victory. It's a huge win, and I wish that we could be able to rest easier and have some breathing room to work with in our race to the playoffs.

But the NFC South proved once more that it is the best division this year in football. The Bucs proved yet again that they can win with a strong running game and a top ten defense against the New Orlean Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons showed us how they can dominate in all phases of the game against a once powerful team to keep their division hopes alive. Our next game is going to be against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night football. I know how I said that this game was going to be a important one, but this is huge. We win this game and we're in complete control of our destiny, we lose it and we're a slave to fate's fortune.

It's a rematch with the titans of the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the division title on the line. Both teams are coming off wins, both teams with identical records. Both teams have strong running games. Both teams have evolved from simply average teams in 07 into powerhouses in 08, both teams have grizzled veteran QB's that know how to spark a comeback when the game is on the line. However, The Bucs have a serious problem facing them this game.

This time they're coming to our house. Nobody comes into our house. ((The Panthers are undefeated at home.))

A few things have changed since we've last played them.

1. Earnest Graham is done for the season. He is replaced by that old fart Warrick Dunn. So far he's been ok, but most of his success can be attributed to the great play of their offensive line. Sometimes they open holes so big that you could freeze the play and drive a car up the middle without nudging any players. He's also 33 years of age, and that's pretty old for a running back.

 He's had 4 games out of 6 games where he got above a 90 point Quarterback rating, and he's showing some Favrisk skill no matter how old he is.

3. Joey Galloway is back. You know, the guy who was their leading reciever on their team for 3 years in a row before he got hurt earlier this year? He's back and he's healthy. You put him next to Antonio Bryant and you have a great dou of tough, physical recievers. They're going to be tough to defend if they get one on one coverage down the field.

In order to win, our defense needs to play a hell of a lot better than we did against the Packers. We'll have the home field advantage to help, but we just need to play a better game. Our run defense has been terrible these last three weeks. We're the only team in the league to allow 100 yards rushing against the Lions using their rookie running back Kevin Jones. The only team. That's not cool at all. We cannot play the same kind of defense we played last game and expect to win against the Bucs. Their defense is way too strong to have Jake Delhomme come up with another comeback when we're 2 scores down. It's just not going to happen.

Our running game needs to step up and take control of the game early. Don't force Jake to throw the ball so much. We have had only 3 games this year where the Panthers have tried over 35 passes. The first was the miracle comeback against San Diego, and the other two resulted in losses. This team is built around the run, and when you make a running team throw the football too much, they usually lose. We only made 41 yards against the Bucs. 41 yards. That's pathetic. Jake Delhomme plays his best games when he can work the playaction plays and throw the deep ball to Steve Smith. That can only be done if we establish a strong, powerful running game. 

You know what? Forget it! I'm done bringing up statistics about that game. That game was a fluke! Those Panthers that the Bucs faced were not our Panthers. There is no way Jake would throw for 4 INT's. That's impossible! From what I hear, John Fox has beefed up security since then, and I'm sure that no weirdoes in blue tights are gonna sneak onto the field and pretend to be our players.

Start the hype.