Today, we shall compare the teams that the Panthers have the possibility to face against each other and we shall see which one of them presents the greatest possibility of beating the Panthers. We shall determine this using the players that each team have, as well as statistics that they have incurred up to this point.

First off, we have the Minnesota Vikings

The Offense: From the time this team got Adrian Peterson, you knew this was coming. The Vikings were going to the playoffs. Adrian Peterson leads what might be the best running game in the league. He's led their games in rushing for every single game they played with the exception of Week 16 when Tarvaris Jackson decided to break out. He's a proven winner, but without a #2 rusher they run the risk of him slowing down later in the year. However, he shows no sign of slowing down yet. He's run for 100 yards in four of his last five games.

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Meanwhile their passing game has been a little more suspect. They had trouble in the beginning of the year with Tarvaris Jackson, but one they changed to Gus their passing offense went from horrible to average, and that was enough to get their running game going. Then when Gus went down to injury later in the year and Jackson came in, he managed to win the starting job with a breakout game at Arizona to the tune of 11 out of 17 completions, 4 touchdowns, 0 INT's. A big key during the Vikings playoff run will be Jackson maintaining his skill from game to game. If he slips up for a moment, it may be all it takes to kick Minnesota out of the playoffs.

The Defense: Minnesota thrives on a overloaded pass rush, led by Pro-Bowlers in Jared Allen and Kevin Williams. Both of those players have the ability to command double teams, you aren't going to hold them off for long. They can stop the run very easily, and passing teams have to make use of three step drops in order to get the ball out quick enough before the O-line gets overwhelmed. You'll be sure to see plenty of slant and comeback routes used against the Vikings.

The Schedule: The Vikings have had a strong schedule against them, and they had a nice rebound from 0-4 through their first four games. According to wins and losses, their schedule ranked 4^th in the league in terms of difficulty. If that doesn't tell the Vikings are playoff ready, then I don't know what does.

Bottom line: This team has the capability to make a run at the Super Bowl. The only position that the Vikings are having a problem at is the QB position. These guys have the talent to go all the way. As long as they keep their passing game going to free up the run, they have a chance.

Next, let's take the #4 seed, the Arizona Cardinals.

The Offense: The Arizona Cardinals are defined by their explosive passing attack, led by Pro-Bowl receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, both of whom have passed the 1,000 yard mark for the year. They have a strong, veteran QB in Kurt Warner, whom has passed for 4500 yards, and a strong 3^rd receiver in Steve Breaston whom stepped up when Boldin went down to also go over the 1,000 yards too. These four players provide the bulk of the Card's offensive attack, and it has worked this year simply because teams are unable to stop them. However, the explosive passing attack is countered with a ineffective rushing attack. It ranks 32^nd in the NFL.

The Defense: The Card's defense is a bit harder to predict. They tend to make mistakes and give up points when the team is ahead in the 2^nd half. Luckily, their offense is so explosive that they can stack on the points on every possession. They stack up as an average defense in the NFL, nothing quite too fancy about them. They won't win the game for you, but with an offense as explosive as Arizona you have to screw up pretty bad to lose a game for you.

The Schedule: The Cardinals have had a pretty easy schedule. They share the conference with the 49ers, the Seahawks, and the St. Louis Rams whom share a collective record of 13-35. They have won every game that they were expected to win. However, all of the big games, all of the ones they needed to win in order to prove themselves capable of winning the Super Bowl they lost. They have lost games against the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings all of whom have made the playoffs. In fact, the only team they've beaten a team that's made the playoffs was in Week 2 when they were up against the Dolphins. That's only because Chad Pennington was still learning the playbook after being dropped by the Jets.

Bottom Line: These guys need to play hard in order to make a deep playoff run. The offense has to become even stronger in the passing game, and the running game needs to quit slacking and get the job done. A one-minded offense may work against weaker teams like the Rams or the Hawks, but that won't fly against the Carolina Panthers.

Finally we got the #5 seed, the Atlanta Falcons

The Offense: What you saw this year for the Atlanta Falcons was a great learning experience with Matt Ryan. I'll be honest, they handled training a rookie QB the best way anyone could have done. In the beginning, they used him conservatively. They allowed him to complete the high percentage throws, but mostly dedicated the offense over to the running game and Turner the Burner. As the season went on and Ryan progressed to the next level, they started giving him a little more responsibility in the game. He found a #1 receiver in Roddy White, he began to learn the playbook. Bit by bit, Matt Ryan has developed into a Pro-Bowl caliber player, and it completes an offense that features the 2^nd best rushing attack in the NFL, as well as a 14^th ranked passing offense that would have been even better if this was Ryan's second year instead of his first.

The Defense: Needs some work. The defense has a aggravating habit of giving up yards and yet stepping up in the end zone. I don't get it myself. How can a team choke all the way down the field and then step up when they get into the end zone. They need to stop giving up big yardage if they want to go far in the playoffs. The Falcons are going to fight a team with an explosive passing offense, and they rank 25^th in defending the pass. That has to change.

The Schedule: The Atlanta Falcons played in the NFC South. That should be more than enough proof that they deserve to be in the playoffs. They've beaten their fair share of playoff teams and in return were beaten as well. If they come out hot on defense and the offense does what it usually does, they have the capacity to go far in the playoffs.

Bottom Line: These guys are an amazing story. A 4-12 team turning it around by the tune of seven more wins. It's going to take a while yet before they can contend for a championship though. They have an explosive offense, but like the Saints they need to start to build a strong defense to compliment it. They'll get the job done though. Who knows? This time next year they might be a Super Bowl competitor.

Conclusion: This was a longer article than I wanted it to be. But now for the answer to the question. What is the greatest threat to the Panthers? Whom stands the greatest chance of beating them. You look no further than the Vikings. Our strength is in the running game, and they've shut it down all year. We have a weakness in our defensive line, and their team is custom made to run the ball up the middle. If we faced them this week and our starting DT's were both injured, then I don't think the Panthers would be able to stop their running game. If we get them both back, it'll be a close game. The Vikings are the biggest threat to the Panthers at this time.