A Carolina Panthers Dynasty: Blueprint for Greatness

[HAMMERhead7]

Panthers travel to Seattle, prepare for Seahawks

Turd Furgeson
Roar Senior Writer

Seattle, WA - The Panthers (7-4) will take on the Seahawks (2-6) in Qwest Field on Sunday. Carolina heads into the game tied with the Falcons for first in the NFC South.

The Panthers are without two starting linebackers with Jon Beason out for the rest of the year, and OLB James Anderson missing this week with his dislocated elbow, he should be back next week.

As for Seattle, Pete Carroll's first season has been a disaster. They rank 31st in total offense, mostly due to the ineffeciency of the run game. Justin Forsett, their leading rusher is averaging only 3.2 a carry, no other back is averaging over three yards a carry.

Carroll said earlier today that "I can't really explain it, I mean, I know why were struggling, it's just frustrating when you know you're better than your record indicates. We just have to go out there each week and try to improve, that's all we can do right now"

The Panthers are trying to continue their surprising push for the playoffs. After the exodus of veterans this off-season, most pundits thought this team wasn't ready, but their getting some fine play from the young Matt Moore and the run game is tops in the league again. The defense has given up a ton of yards, but timely takeaways and a slew of sacks recently has them in good position to win the division, especially with two games still to play against Atlanta.

They will see if they can build on their current three game winning streak against Caroll's Seahawks.

Injury Report

Panthers -
OLB James Anderson - Out one week - Dislocated Elbow
OLB Jon Beason - Out eight weeks - Broken Collarbone

Seahawks -
C Steve Vallos - Out for season - Fractured Elbow
MLB David Hawthorne - Out for season - Broken Jaw

Panthers at Seahawks - 4:15 PM - FOX
Qwest Field

[HAMMERhead7]

AT
Week Thirteen
39 - 23

Seattle, WA - The Seahawks (2-10) had no answer for the Panthers (8-4) this week as Carolina rolled to a 39-23 win in Qwest Field.

The Panthers jumped out to a 23-0 lead with less than 4 minutes left in the first half, but a touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Golden Tate, followed by another touchdown pass to Deon Butler after the Panthers fumbled a kick return, put the Seahawks right back in the gamne. Seattle then added a field goal on a Panthers 3 and out, narrowing Carolina's lead to six before the half.

Carolina managed to tackle Seattle back Justin Forsett in the endzone for a safety in the 3rd, and added two touchdown runs for Jonathan Stewart to put the game out of reach. Stewart had three rushing touchdowns for the game.

Panthers corner Chris Gamble intercepted Hasselbeck twice, giving him six picks on the season, tying him for tops in the NFL. Defensive end Charles Johnson continued his hot play, adding a sack to his season total and finished the game with 4 solo tackles and two assists.

The Panthers found out today that they'll be without leading tackler strong safety Charles Godfrey for two weeks. While waiting for the test results, team officials were worried it could be a season ending injury, it was welcome news to hear it would only shelve Godfrey for two games.


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NFL Scoreboard - Panthers (8-4) at Seahawks (2-10)

December 5, 2010 1 2 3 4 F Panthers 13 10 2 14 39 Seahawks 0 17 0 6 23 Top Performers Panthers - Stats D. Williams - 29 att, 122 yds, 4.6 avg, 1 TD, 1 catch, 29 yds J. Stewart - 19 att, 86 yds, 4.5 avg, 3 TD, 1 catch, 26 yds Seahawks - Stats G. Tate - 9 rec, 125 yds, 1 TD D. Butler - 5 rec, 58 yds, 1 TD	Team Stats Comparison CAR SEA First Downs 18 15 3rd Down Efficiency 9-18(50%) 5-13(38%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 0-1(0%) Total Yards 447 361 Passing Yards 229 332 Rushing Yards 218 29 Penalties-Penalty Yards 3-30 0-0 Turnovers 3 3 Time of Possession 42:21 17:39
Scoring Summary First Quarter CAR SEA CAR 10:52 J. Kasay 45 yd FG 3 0 CAR 7:22 J. Kasay 21 yd FG 6 0 CAR 6:14 D. Williams 62 yd TD run (J. Kasay kick) 13 0 Second Quarter CAR SEA CAR 12:00 J. Stewart 3 yd TD run (J. Kasay kick) 20 0 CAR 3:24 J. Kasay 27 yd FG 23 0 SEA 2:31 G. Tate 27 yd TD pass from M. Hasselbeck (O. Mare kick) 23 7 SEA 2:08 D. Butler 16 yd TD pass from M. Hasselbeck (O. Mare kick) 23 14 SEA 0:34 O. Mare 23 yd FG 23 17 Third Quarter CAR SEA CAR 11:51 E. Brown tackles J. Forsett in endzone - SAFETY 25 17 Fourth Quarter CAR SEA CAR 14:57 J. Stewart 1 yd TD run (J. Kasay kick) 32 17 CAR 10:40 J. Stewart 12 yd TD run (J. Kasay kick) 39 17 SEA 6:24 L. Washington 1 yd TD run (2PT Failed) 39 23
Panthers Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT M. Moore 12/26 229 0 0 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD D. Williams 26 122 4.6 1 J. Stewart 19 86 4.5 3 M. Goodson 5 7 1.4 0 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD S. Smith 4 63 15.7 0 B. Lafell 3 71 23.6 0 G. Barnidge 2 24 12.0 0 D. Williams 1 29 29.0 0 Defense TKL SACK INT TD C. Godfrey 7 0 1 0 J. Pugh 5 0 0 0 C. Munnerlyn 5 0 0 0 C. Johnson 4 1 0 0 E. Johnson 2 1 0 0 C. Gamble 0 0 1 0 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG K. Moore 5 95 0 24 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG A. Edwards 4 40 0 16 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG J. Kasay 3/3 4/4 13 45 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 J. Baker 5 222 44.4 2 Seahawks Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT M. Hasselbeck 24/50 347 2 3 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD J. Forsett 12 19 1.5 0 L. Washington 3 10 3.3 1 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD G. tate 9 125 13.8 1 D. Butler 5 58 11.6 1 D. Branch 4 89 22.2 0 T. Houshmandzadeh 2 19 9.5 0 Defense TKL SACK INT TD A. Curry 8 0 0 0 C. Cole 7 0 0 0 B. Mebane 6 0 0 0 E. Thomas 6 0 0 0 L. Tatupu 6 0 0 0 K. Jennings 4 0 0 0 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG J. Forsett 8 145 0 22 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG J. Forsett 3 22 0 13 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG O. Mare 1/1 2/2 5 24 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 J. Ryan 6 224 37.3 0

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[HAMMERhead7]

The Quarterly Report

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NFL Standings - 2010 Season

AFC East	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Patriots	10	2	0	83.3	3-1	307	235
Dolphins	7	5	0	58.3	2-1	280	250
Jets	6	6	0	50.0	2-2	245	244
Bills	2	10	0	16.6	0-3	187	238
AFC North	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Bengals	6	6	0	50.0	2-1	276	211
Steelers	6	6	0	50.0	2-2	223	244
Ravens	6	6	0	50.0	1-3	246	235
Browns	5	7	0	41.6	2-1	219	269
AFC South	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Colts	9	3	0	75.0	3-0	281	226
Texans	5	7	0	41.6	1-3	242	293
Titans	5	7	0	41.6	1-2	197	230
Jaguars	4	8	0	33.3	2-2	174	227
AFC West	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Chargers	7	5	0	58.3	4-0	250	224
Broncos	7	5	0	58.3	2-2	232	230
Chiefs	6	6	0	50.0	1-3	215	234
Raiders	5	7	0	41.6	1-3	227	236
NFC East	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Redskins	8	4	0	66.6	3-1	304	265
Cowboys	7	5	0	58.3	2-1	284	253
Eagles	5	7	0	41.6	1-2	242	241
Giants	5	7	0	41.6	1-3	237	250
NFC North	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Y-Vikings	11	1	0	91.6	4-0	305	215
Packers	6	6	0	50.0	2-2	264	246
Bears	6	6	0	50.0	2-2	280	257
Lions	4	8	0	33.3	0-4	216	291
NFC South	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Falcons	8	4	0	66.6	3-0	268	236
Panthers	8	4	0	66.6	2-2	297	280
Saints	7	5	0	58.3	2-2	309	273
Buccaneers	2	10	0	16.6	1-4	193	280
NFC West	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Cardinals	7	5	0	58.3	4-1	225	221
49ers	6	6	0	50.0	2-1	226	208
Rams	4	8	0	33.3	2-2	212	227
Seahawks	2	10	0	16.6	0-4	100	293

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Panthers Rankings and Stats


Rankings - Offense


Total Offense - 4,511 - 1st
Passing - 2,496 - 17th
Rushing - 2,015 - 1st
PPG - 24.7 - 5th
Sacks Allowed - 10 - 1st
1st Downs - 193 - 2nd
3rd down % - 48%(87 for 179)
4th down % - 0% (0-5)
Red Zone % - 80.0 (42 att, 19TD, 15FG) - 24th


Rankings - Defense


Totals Yards Allowed - 4,460 - 32nd
Passing - 2,987 - 32nd
Rushing - 1,473 - 28th
Points - 280 - 29th
Sacks - 32 - T8th
Turnover Diff - -2 (13 takeaways) - T25th
Def. Red Zone % - 87.0 (33 Att, 15 TD, 14 FG) - T7th


Players Statistics


Passing
M. Moore - 81.8 rating, 2,511 yards, 14 TD, 7 INT, 178/339 (52%)


Rushing
D. Williams - 232 att, 1,233 yards, 5.3 avg, 6 TD
J. Stewart - 174 att, 777 yards, 4.4 avg, 9 TD


Receiving
S. Smith - 64 rec, 1,084 yds, 8 TD
B. Lafell - 21 rec, 352 yds, 2 TD
J. Stewart - 18 rec, 170 yds, 0 TD
D. Jarrett - 16 rec, 191 yds, 2 TD
D. Williams - 16 rec, 220 yds, 1 TD
G. Barnidge - 15 rec, 162 yds, 0 TD
J. King - 11 rec, 135 yds, 1 TD


Tackles
C. Godfrey - 63 solo, 14 asst, 4 TFL
S. Martin - 50 solo, 13 asst, 2 TFL
J. Anderson - 43 solo, 15 asst, 10 TFL
R. Marshall - 32 solo, 15 asst, 1 TFL
J. Beason - 30 solo, 16 asst, 3 TFL
E. Norwood - 29 solo, 6 asst, 3 TFL


Sacks
C. Johnson - 12
T. Brayton - 4
E. Brown - 4
T. Tyler - 3
E. Johnson - 2
L. Leonard - 2
J. Anderson - 1
N. Hayden - 1
C. Godfrey - 1
D. Connor - 1
E. Norwood - 1


Interceptions
C. Gamble - 6
S. Martin - 2
R. Marshall - 1
C. Godfrey - 1

[HAMMERhead7]

Falcons, Panthers set to battle for first place

Turd Furgeson
Roar Senior Writer


Charlotte. N.C - With the Saints (7-5) on their trail, the Falcons (8-4) and Panthers (8-4) will fight for the top spot in the NFC South in Bank of America stadium sunday.

Atlanta comes in with the 2nd best running game in the NFL, behind the Panthers, and the 12th ranked defense in the league. Both team quarterbacks have had their ups and downs, so we're sure to see the ground game in full effect this week.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has thrown 12 interceptions this season, to only 7 touchdowns and has a rough 67.0 qb rating. Atlanta head coahc Mike Smith said of Ryan's struggles that "he's a tough guy, he's tried so darn hard to right the ship for himself this year, but things aren't falling right for him. Us coaches know the player that he is, we're confident he'll snap out of this sooner than later"

On the injury front, both teams will be missing key players for this pivitol matchup.

Injury Report

Panthers -
SS Charles Godfrey - Out two weeks - Torn Shoulder Labrum
OLB Jon Beason - Out for seven weeks - Broken Collarbone

Falcons -
WR Roddy White - Out one week - Broken Thumb
DE Jamaal Anderson - Out two weeks - Broken Collarbone
OLB Stephen Nicholas - Out for season - Torn Pectoral Muscle

Falcons at Panthers - 1:00 PM - FOX
Bank of America Stadium

[HAMMERhead7]

AT
Week Fourteen
13 - 16

Charlotte, N.C - The original Panther, John Kasay's 50 yard field goal as time expired gave the Panthers (9-4) a 16-13 win over Atlanta (8-5) to give Carolina sole possesion of first place in the NFC South.

The Panthers defense, apparently boosted by the return of LB James Anderson, played terrific all game. They allowed Matt Ryan to complete 78% of his passes, but mostly all were short to intermediate attempts. The Panthers avoided surrendering the big play and were able to hold an opponent under 300 yard of offense for the 3rd time this season and the first since their week eight win over the Rams.

Carolina quarterback Matt Moore who threw two interceptions, one in the endzone, praised the defense for saving the day "Those guys rescued our behind today, They kept us in it against a very good team and held the fourth ranked runner in the league in check all game. They came up huge and they deserve every ounce of the credit for this W"

Atlanta's running back Michael Turner was held to 71 yards on 23 carries for 3.0 yard per attempt. Turner also threw alot of praise Carolina's way, saying "Those holes were few and far between. They have a talented group of guys over there and boy did they show it. I'm just happy I get another shot at them in week 17, hopefully I can give them some payback"


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NFL Scoreboard - Falcons (8-5) at Panthers (9-4)

December 12, 2010 1 2 3 4 F Falcons 3 0 7 3 13 Panthers 0 3 3 10 16 Top Performers Falcons - Stats M. Ryan - 102.4 rating, 15/19, 163 yds C. Lofton - 11 solo, 1 ast, 1 TFL, 1 INT Panthers - Stats J. Stewart - 17 att, 79 yds, 4.6 avg, 1 TD, 1 catch, 7 yds J. Anderson - 8 solo, 1 ast, 2 TFL, 1 sack	Team Stats Comparison ATL CAR First Downs 12 20 3rd Down Efficiency 5-12(41%) 12-18(66%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 0-0 Total Yards 235 403 Passing Yards 157 270 Rushing Yards 78 133 Penalties-Penalty Yards 0-0 3-26 Turnovers 0 2 Time of Possession 29:23 30:37
Scoring Summary First Quarter ATL CAR ATL 12:02 M. Bryant 37 yd FG 3 0 Second Quarter ATL CAR CAR 0:26 J. Kasay 23 yd FG 3 3 Third Quarter ATL CAR ATL 7:03 J. Norwood 1 yd TD run (M. Bryant kick) 10 3 CAR 2:21 J. Kasay 20 yd FG 10 6 Fourth Quarter ATL CAR CAR 9:13 J. Stewart 22 yd TD run (J. Kasay kick) 10 13 ATL 2:34 M. Bryant 32 yd FG 13 13 CAR 0:00 J. Kasay 50 yd FG 13 16
Falcons Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT M. Ryan 15/19 163 0 0 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD M. Turner 23 71 3.0 0 J. Norwood 5 8 1.6 1 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD H. Douglas 4 46 11.5 0 T. Gonzalez 3 18 6.0 0 M. Jenkins 2 25 12.5 0 J. Norwood 1 16 16.0 0 Defense TKL SACK INT TD C. Lofton 11 0 1 0 J. Babineaux 5 0 0 0 S. Weatherspoon 5 0 0 0 T. Johnson 4 1 0 0 B. Williams 2 0 1 0 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG D. Franks 2 38 0 21 E. Weems 2 33 0 19 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG E. Weems 1 16 0 16 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG M. Bryant 2/3 1/1 7 37 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 M. Koenen 3 136 45.3 2 Panthers Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT M. Moore 20/35 275 0 2 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD J. Stewart 17 79 4.6 1 D. Williams 16 54 3.3 0 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD B. LaFell 4 74 18.5 0 S. Smith 4 65 16.2 0 G. Barnidge 3 47 15.6 0 D. Jarrett 2 27 13.5 0 Defense TKL SACK INT TD J. Anderson 8 1 0 0 D. Connor 6 0 0 0 L. Leonard 5 0 0 0 C. Gamble 4 0 0 0 E. Norwood 3 0 0 0 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG K. Moore 4 92 0 27 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG A. Edwards 2 13 0 7 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG J. Kasay 3/4 1/1 10 50 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 J. Baker 2 93 46.5 0

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[HAMMERhead7]

Panthers try to extend win streak to six against Arizona

Turd Furgeson
Roar Senior Writer


Charlotte, N.C - Carolina (9-4) is shocking the football world with how well they've been playing, but they will have their work cut of for them as the 8-5 Cardinals come into town.

Arizona has won 3 in a row and 4 of their last 5, and boasts the most fearsome pass rushing tandem in the league with Calais Campbell registering 13.5 sacks and Darnell Dockett with 10.5. Matt Moore will have to be on his toes all day.

Carolina will try to negate the Card's pass rush by running it right at them. The top rushing team in the league, will try to make history again after becoming the first team since 1970 to have two 1,100 yard rushers on the same team in 2009. This year it looks attainable again as Jonathan Stewart needs 244 yards in three games to reach 1,100, and given the fact coach John Fox has stated he wants to lightwen DeAngelo's load a little, Stewart stands to receive more work going forward.

Arizona is a game ahead of San Fransisco for first place in the NFC West.

Injury Report

Panthers -
SS C. Godfrey - Out one week - Torn Shoulder Labrum
OLB Jon Beason - Out six weeks - Broken Collarbone

Cardinals -
LT Orlando Pace - Out one week - Upper Arm Fracture
RG Deuce Lutui - Out seven weeks - Broken Forearm
QB Derek Anderson - Out for season - Compound Fracture

Cardinals at Panthers - 1:00 PM - FOX
Bank of America Stadium

[HAMMERhead7]

AT
Week Fifteen
27 - 28

Charlotte, N.C - After getting shutout in the first half with only 92 yards of total offense, the Panthers (10-4) turned things around drastically in the second half against Arizona (8-6) on sunday.

The Cardinals went up 24-0 at halftime after two Matt Moore interceptions left Arizona in great field position for scores. The Panthers came out after the break and scored on their first possession, and converted the two pointer, followed by an Arizona field goal which made it a 27-7 game with 5:00 left in the 3rd.

From that point on it became the Matt Moore show, hitting Steve Smith on a streak for a 55 yard touchdown, then driving downfield on the next series that culminated with a Gary Barnidge 12 yard touchdown pass from Moore, putting Carolina down by five points heading into the final five minutes of the game.

Moore then with 2:45 left, guided his Panthers inside the 5, from there Carolina needed two runs by Jonathan Stewart to punch it in and give the Panthers a remarkable comeback, which the defense secured in the final seconds.

Carolina's linebacker corp. got some more bad news as they'll be without MLB Dan Connor for the remainder of the year, joining team captain Jon Beason on IR. GM Marty Hurney was quick to find some depth by signing MLB Jovan Belcher, who ha 47 tackles for Kansas City in 2009. WR Wallace Wright was released to make room for Belcher.



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NFL Scoreboard - Cardinals (8-6) at Panthers (10-4)

December 19, 2010 1 2 3 4 F Cardinals 17 7 3 0 27 Panthers 0 0 15 13 28 Top Performers Cardinals - Stats M. Leinart - 82.3 rating, 27/47, 305 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT S. Breaston - 8 rec, 72 yds Panthers - Stats M. Moore - 76.7 rating, 23/44, 288 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT J. Anderson - 6 solo, 2 TFL, 1 sack	Team Stats Comparison ARI CAR First Downs 16 16 3rd Down Efficiency 4-13(30%) 7-15(46%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 1-1(100%) Total Yards 321 364 Passing Yards 290 288 Rushing Yards 31 76 Penalties-Penalty Yards 0-0 1-5 Turnovers 1 3 Time of Possession 29:47 30:13
Scoring Summary First Quarter ARI CAR ARI 5:10 E. Doucet 7 yd TD pass from M. Leinart (J. Feely kick) 7 0 ARI 1:53 J. Feely 37 yd FG 10 0 ARI 0:06 B. Well 9 yd TD run (J. Feely kick) 17 0 Second Quarter ARI CAR ARI 3:48 E Doucet 4 yd TD pass from M. Leinart (J. Feely kick) 24 0 Third Quarter ARI CAR CAR 7:04 D. Rosario 17 yd TD pass from M. Moore (2PT GOOD) 24 8 ARI 5:14 J. Feely 38 yd FG 27 8 CAR 4:39 S. Smith 55 yd TD pass from M. Moore (J. Kasay kick) 27 15 Fourth Quarter ARI CAR CAR 5:42 G. Barnidge 12 yd TD pass from M. Moore (J. Kasay kick) 27 22 CAR 0:23 D. Williams 1 yd TD run (2PT FAILED) 27 28
Cardinals Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT M. Leinart 27/47 305 2 1 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD B. Wells 11 30 2.7 1 T. Hightower 1 2 2.0 0 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD S. Breaston 8 72 9.0 0 A. Roberts 5 83 16.6 0 E. Doucet 5 65 13.0 2 L. Fitzgerald 4 46 11.5 0 A. Becht 2 26 13.0 0 Defense TKL SACK INT TD D. Williams 7 0 0 0 G. Hayes 6 0 0 0 D. Washington 6 0 0 0 G. Toler 1 0 1 0 C. Haggans 1 0 1 0 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG L. Stephens-Howling 5 74 0 21 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG A. Roberts 3 26 0 13 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG J. Feely 2/2 3/3 9 39 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 B. Graham 6 257 42.8 1 Panthers Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT M. Moore 23/44 288 3 2 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD J. Stewart 15 44 2.9 0 D. Williams 11 33 3.0 1 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD S. Smith 5 96 19.2 1 G. Barnidge 5 48 9.6 1 J. Stewart 3 25 8.3 0 B. Lafell 2 30 15.0 0 D. Rosario 1 17 17.0 1 Defense TKL SACK INT TD C. Gamble 7 0 0 0 J. Anderson 6 1 0 0 J. Pugh 5 0 0 0 R. Marshall 3 0 1 0 E. Johnson 1 1 0 0 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG M. Goodson 6 109 0 22 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG A. Edwards 5 41 0 21 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG J. Kasay 0/0 2/2 2 0 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 J. Baker 6 279 46.5 0

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[HAMMERhead7]

Carolina heads to Heinz Field for Thursday Night matchup

Turd Furgeson
Roar Senior Writer


Pittsburgh, PA - The Panthers (10-4) head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers (8-6) on Thursday Night Football in a game forecasters say will be played in blizzard conditions.

Both teams are hot right now, with Carolina winning six in a row and the Steelers stringing four in a row. The interesting thing to watch will be up front, with Carolina's top ranked rush offense going up against the leagues top rush defense.

The Steelers, as usual are near the top of the league in defense, ranking 6th in the NFL in total yards allowed. They also don't give up many points, ranking 7th in points allowed with 268.

Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward, who doesn't seem to age, is putting together another magnificent season with 81 catches, 1,029 yards and nine touchdowns. Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble, who will line up against Ward for most of the game said of the veteran

"I may have more respect for Hines Ward than I do for any other receiver in the league. Not only is he hard to cover, but he's most dangerous when the ball isn't in his hands, the dude can block. I've seem him knock linebackers around like they're ragdolls. He's a great all around player"

The Panthers will get their leading tackler back this week when SS Charles Godfrey returns.

Injury Report

Panthers -
OLB J. Beason - Out five weeks - Broken Collarbone
MLB D. Connor - Out for season - Broken Collarbone

Steelers -
RT Max Starks - Out three weeks - Dislocated Hip
LT Willie Colo - Out for season - Complete Achilles Tear

Panthers at Steelers - 8:20 PM - NFL Network
Heinz Field