Photo by: Chris Keane/Icon SMI

These two teams faced off in week 4 in an exciting contest.  Newton and the Panthers fell just short of topping Atlanta for their first loss of the year.  Of course, we know how things have shaped up for both teams since that game.  Atlanta has built off their early season success to sit at 11-1 in week 14.  Carolina, well, has not.  The Panthers hit maybe all time low for the season as they fell to the one win Chiefs.  KC may have had a little drive to win this game after losing a teammate, but Carolina is clearly out of at this point.  Their only motivation for this game may be to defeat a division rival, but that won’t change the landscape much for either team.  at 3-9, the Panthers may have already packed it in, looking for that high draft pick.

I don’t believe Cam Newton has quit yet, which is what this whole game is going to focus on.  With no running game to speak of recently except Newton, he has had to own games mostly with his arm.  With still no bonafide number 2 receiver, Newton has relied on Steve Smith a lot again this year.  They haven’t had the same magic this year as teams are now working on shutting down the veteran receiver.  Jonathan Stewart looks to be out again, so that means DeAngelo Williams is once again the starter.  Don’t expect a ton of carries though, as he hasn’t been a big part of this offense for some time now.

Carolina is now tied for the worst record in the NFC with Philadelphia.  This team doesn’t have a whole lot going for them after a promising year last year.  Some major changes could be made in the offseason, but for now there are still 4 more games to be played.

Tragic news came out of Kansas City yesterday morning when it was reported that starting Linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend and himself.  Belcher apparently drove to the Chiefs practice facility after murdering his girlfriend and addressed Rome Crennell and Scott Pioli outside the doors of the practice facility.  He thanked them for the opportunity to play the game and then walked away and shot himself.  Very devastating news for an already low Chiefs team.  Very confusing news as well as at this point not much has been said in terms of a motive.

The game between the Chiefs and Panthers is still going to be played, however.  The Chiefs players will clearly be playing with a lot on their minds as one of their teammates will no longer be with them on the sidelines.  It is hard to predict how they will react to such news, but they might be playing with a little extra motivation for their fallen teammate.  Either way, it is a 1:00 PM kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium.

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Carolina isn’t going to the playoffs this year, but they could end the season on a high note if they can pull together a few more wins.  Take away two big losses to the Giants and Broncos and their other 6 losses have been by a TD or less.  The Panthers have been in a lot of games this year but haven’t been able to shut the door.  Their last 5 games feature only one team with a record above .500.  Win 3 or 4 of these and the season looks a little less loss.  If that makes any sense…

Well this Sunday’s game should be a good step in the right direction.  Kansas City has lost their last 8 games.  They are a team in an even worse situation than Carolina with only 1 win on the season.  Their starting QB Matt Cassell has only 6 TDs on the season.  In the games Brady Quinn has replaced him he has yet to reach the end zone.  Carolina’s secondary is nothing special, but no matter who is under center for the Chiefs the defense should fare well.  What they do have to worry about is the rushing attack.  Jamaal Charles is an elite back that has lead the Chiefs to the fourth best rushing attack in the league.  He is capable of some serious games with breakaway speed rivaled by nobody.

The Chiefs defense hasn’t been horrible, but are capable of some decent performances.  They gave up just 17 points to Denver, 16 to Pittsburgh, and only 9 to Baltimore.  They have also given up more than 25 points on 7 separate occasions.  Odds are that Cam Newton will put up some points on the Chiefs, but he certainly can’t just shake them off.  They have struggled more against the run so it may be a chance to get DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert some carries.  Jonathan Stewart is likely out with a high ankle sprain.   When it comes down to it, this is a game Carolina should win as long as they still have some motivation left.

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The season may be lost, but Carolina has a chance to prove to the world that they are better than their record.  They actually have a good shot to that against a sputtering Eagles team.  Carolina didn’t have the expectations that Philly had, but are still have just one less win than the proclaimed “dream team.”  Ever since given that title after the 2011 offseason they have struggle mightily.  After missing the playoffs last year they have begun this season with a 3-7 record and almost certainly another seat on the couch come playoff time.  In fact, this game will face two coaches with hottest seats in November.  At this point, I would say it is unlikely either is on the sidelines for their respective teams come next year.

For the Eagles, neither Vick or McCoy are likely to play in the game.  Replacing Vick will be Nick Foles who is seemingly auditioning for a starting spot next year.  Mike Vick was exceptional in 2010, but turnovers have caught up with him enough to leave many fans clamoring for the rookie Foles to take his job permanently.  Foles didn’t help himself last week with an abysmal performance against a poor Washington secondary.  That is good news for Carolina, who also has a poor secondary.  The defense for Philly has already canned their coordinator Juan Castillo, but that has not improved their play as of late.  They have a lot of talent on that side of the ball, but it has not resulted in many wins this season.

In what looked like a promising game before the year, this Monday Nights game has turned into a real dull matchup for the national stage.  Still, Carolina will get to show off what talent they do have in this game and give their team a little confidence to finish out the year.

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Tampa has taken a completely different route this season then the Panthers.  Despite suffering a hand full of devastating injuries, including Adrian Clayborn, Carl Nicks, and Davin Joseph, they have kept it together to over .500 at this point in the season.  Now, at 5-4 they have plenty of games left to continue to prove they are for real.  For now though, they are one of the hottest teams in the NFL with 3 straight wins and 4 out of their last 5.  Doug Martin may be the hottest player in football right now, putting up record setting numbers each week.  He isn’t likely to be slowed down by the Panthers mediocre defense.  Still, he isn’t invulnerable.  He was limited on the ground last week, but made his damage on the receiving end.  It won’t be easy to stop him, but they do have some hope.

Josh Freeman is also having a nice bounceback season.  With top WR Vincent Jackson in the fold, he is showing some of that big play ability he showed back in 2010.  With Mike Williams flowing well again, the whole offense has been very impressive for over a month now.  That is a scary combination they have, which has led to some big points.

The defense, however, is a different story.  The have been burned through the air all year long, which could mean a big day for Cam Newton.  With Aqib Talib shipped off to New England, and Eric Wright nursing an Achilles injury, things are only getting worse.  The pass rush has been mostly non existent as well, leaving a lot of yards through the air.  The rush D has been pretty great, though, so Stewart may not have his best game.  It will be interesting to see if they go back to the rotation with Williams.  I think this would be a poor decision by Rivera as it will be difficult to get in any rhythm against a tough Tampa run D if you are constantly taken out of the game.

Either way, I think this is game Carolina losses.  They just don’t have the talent to keep up with Tampa, and the drive to win is much lower than a scorching team.  Carolina will play hard, but at the end the day I think the Tampa offense is too much.