Thanks for checking out my preview of the Carolina Panthers at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on Sunday December 4^th 2011. This preview of the Panthers at the Buc's will have a Carolina slant since I blog about them.

Josh Freeman has been playing hurt this year and has little help thus isn’t having the best of seasons for the Bucs. Still the Tampa offense is better than their dreadful defense which struggles against the run AND the pass.

The Panthers and Bucs are division rivals and in the NFC South home teams tend to win division games. But I feel that the struggling Bucs are ripe for the picking by Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

If Cam Newton and the Panthers offense can jump off to a quick lead, the running game can keep Freeman off the field. I think if the Panthers can get that quick lead they may break the will of the Bucs and end the game in a route of their division foe.

I hope Carolina does give the Bucs defense a healthy dose of “Double Trouble” AKA DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. This will keep the Buc’s own running backs on the bench and as we know run defense is the bane of the Carolina Panthers in 2011.

 LeGarrette Blount and Ernest Graham are both having a good season when healthy and I don’t want the Bucs grinding the ball out with them. Freeman when hot is a beast but I would rather the Panthers make him pass than see that Tampa run offense getting first down after first down. My biggest fear in the passing game for the Bucs is Kellen Winslow the tight end who is having a solid season.

The problem the Panthers defense is that almost all the linebackers are injured in some fashion. For the last two seasons it’s like a jinx against any linebackers playing for the Panthers.

I do like the Carolina Panthers chances against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Putting away a bad Colts team has shown the Panthers that they can win a game and that confidence boost is much needed. I am also impressed with the improved special teams play from the last couple of games for the Carolina Panthers.

My prediction for the Carolina Panthers at the Tampa Bay Bucs is a 28 to 23 win by the Panthers. Please leave a comment and tell me if you agree with my assessment of the game. Also you can check me out on Twitter here.

The Carolina Panthers defeated the Indianapolis Colts by the score of 27 to 19 today. Thank for reading my review of the Panthers win over the Colts who desperately miss Peyton Manning.

Cam Newton had one of his best days as a pro in the Panthers win over the Colts. Cam Newton completed 20 of 27 passes for 208 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions. Cam Newton did have a 14 yard touchdown run against the Colts. The lack of turnovers by Newton was huge in the Panthers win over a fairly determined Indianapolis Colts team.

The Panthers offense went to the rushing attack a little more than usual and let the running backs do the majority of the work on offense. Jonathan Stewart had 70 yards on 10 carries and DeAngelo Williams added 69 yards and two touchdowns on 15 attempts.

Steve Smith caught three passes for 68 yards and Brandon LaFell stepped up with five receptions for 43 yards against the Colts. Olsen and a returning from injury Jeremy Shockey combined for six receptions and 65 yards.

Curtis Painter showed me more than I thought he had when he passed for 226 yards against the Carolina Panthers. Reggie Wayne had a big day with five receptions for 122 yards against Carolina.

The Panthers defense did intercept two of Painters passes and held the Colts to under 110 yards rushing. Charles Godfrey had a big game for the Panthers against the Colts. Charles had four tackles; two assists a forced fumble and a sack. James Anderson has three tackles and seven assists. Sherrod Martin and Chris Gamble had interceptions for the Panthers against the Colts.

The Carolina Panthers special teams stepped up against the Indianapolis Colts. Pilares had a 76 yard kickoff return. The Panthers coverage units had their best day holding the Colts to one yard on four punt returns. Armanti Edwards had a nice 17 yard punt return today.

The Carolina Panthers beat a team in the Colts that they were supposed to beat. That has not always happened in the recent past of the Panthers. I like how the run defense and special teams played well and hope this gives them some confidence for future games.

The Colts played hard against the Panthers probably thinking this was their best chance to win a game in the 2011 season. Kind of ironic that the team that would have drafted Andrew Luck beat the team that WILL draft Luck next year.

The Panthers fell just short again as you will read in my review of the New Orleans at Carolina game. Cam Newton’s first pass was an interception in Carolina territory but then settled down to have another good game. The Saints defeated the Panthers 30 to 27.

Against the Saints Cam Newton completed 16 of 31 for 224 yards, two touchdowns and the pick.Newton also rushed seven times for 27 yards and a touchdown. Newton's early bomb to Steve Smith sparked one of at least three scuffles between the Saints and Panthers.

DeAngelo Williams was the star for the Carolina Panthers with a 69 yard touchdown run off an option play and 115 yards rushing for the day. However the failure to run out the clock with at the end of the game led to Drew Brees drive to win the game for the Saints.Carolina opted to throw deep on third and two and the pass fell incomplete. I expect Ron Rivera will regret a timeout that gave John Kasay a field goal after time appeared to run out in the first half. John Kasay went three for three on both field goal and extra point attempts against his old team.

Steve Smith dealt with double coverage most of the game and ended up with three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Naanee came up nice after being questioned by fans and media during the week. Naanee caught four balls for 63 yards and blocked well on running plays. Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey had almost identical stats with three catches for 21 yards with a long of nine, each. Olsen added a touchdown reception though.

Sherrod Martin had a great game for the Panthers defense with an interception and five tackles. Charles Godfrey had nine tackles and Captain Munnerlyn had five. The problem is you don’t want your secondary making that many tackles. James Anderson had another solid game with five solo and five assisted tackles. One of James Anderson’s tackles was a great one on Darren Sproles for a loss in the Saints backfield.

The Panthers run defense looked much improved against the Saints as Darren Sproles was the rushing leader with 51 yards. Tight end Graham was the Panther killer today with eight catches for 130 yards, often when the Saints really needed a catch. Drew Brees was just too good today but the Panthers played well in the loss.

This is a preview of the Bears and Panthers game that will be played on Sunday October 2^nd in Chicago. The 1-2 Panthers will travel to the Windy City to take on the 1-2 Chicago Bears.

Here is a team stat comparison for the Panthers vs. the Bears game according to NFL.com. The Carolina Panthers are seventh in the league in yards gained, fourth in passing and 24^th in rushing yards. The Panthers defense ranks 17^th in total yards given up, 25^th in rushing defense and 14^th in passing yards given up.

The Chicago Bears rank 23^rd in total yards gained, 17^th in passing yards and 31^st in rushing yards gained. The Bears defense ranks 25^th in total yards given up, 18^th in rushing defense and 26^th in passing yards defense.

The Panthers and Bears will be playing some old friends as Chris “Hitman” Harris and Julius Peppers of the Bears used to be Carolina Panthers. Greg Olsen the Panthers tight end was acquired from the Bears in a trade shortly before the season started.

For the Panthers to beat the Bears Cam Newton must rediscover the accuracy he showed against Green Bay and Arizona. Cam didn’t turn the ball over against Jacksonville but he was largely wild on his passes until the final drive.

The Bears defense has some age on it and Cam and company can pass on them if they can keep Julius Peppers out of their backfield. Panthers fans must hope the old Julius that takes games off shows up. But players tend to have good games against their former teams.

The Panthers MUST contain Devin Hester on returns and in the passing game. If the Bears get a big play from Hester it will drive the home crowd crazy and hurt the Panthers chance of winning.

DeAngelo Williams caught a lot of grief this week from Panthers fans and he needs to have a good game. Jonathan Stewart is having a good season and I hope to see him get the ball more this week against the Bears.

The Panthers need to get healthy and stay healthy to beat the Bears on Sunday. Charles Godfrey is expected back but Jeff Otah and Chris Gamble have missed practice time this week with injuries.

Look for James Anderson to have a big game and he will be needed to help contain Matt Forte. The Bears under Mike Martz like to throw the ball all over the yard but no NFL team will ignore the run completely.

I think the Panthers match up well with the Bears and now know they can win games. This team plays to the level of their competition and this game should go down to the wire.

Thanks for checking out my preview of the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers game coming up this Sunday. The Green Bay Packers are coming off an exciting win over the Saints and of course are the defending Super Bowl Champions.

Never has a loss created so much excitement among Carolina Panther fans like the one to Arizona did. Cam Newton set a rookie passing record for yards and played beyond the expectations of even his most ardent fans.

The Green Bay Packers are expected to roll over the Carolina Panthers but there is a reason they actually play the games.Carolina has a chance to beat the Packers if they limit turnovers and in turn force the Packers into turning the ball over.

The loss of Jon Beason for the season is a huge blow to the Panthers as is the concussion suffered by Jeff Otah. The offensive line of any team needs to have the same five players on the field as much as possible. They have to play together to get better but this line is banged up.

Jeff Otah is listed as doubtful on the injury report and will be replaced by rookie Byron Bell. Cornerback Josh Thomas, wide receiver Kealoha Pilares, and linebacker Thomas Davis are all listed as probable.

For the Carolina Panthers to stay in the game with the Green Bay Packers, the running game must improve. Cam Newton can’t be expected to have another 400 yard game. “Double Trouble” DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart need to run the ball well and control the clock, thus keeping Aaron Rogers off the field.

Original Carolina Panthers Head Coach Dom Capers is the defensive coordinator for the Packers. Capers is a 3-4 blitz guru and will be trying to confuse and rattle Cam Newton. Capers may confuse Cam but I don’t think Newton will get rattled. Cam Newton shows rare poise for a rookie quarterback.

To try to thwart the Packers blitz Carolina needs to keep the tight ends involved in the passing game. Cam Newton will need his safety valves AKA Shockey and Olsen to get open early on blitzes. I also think Steve Smith and Newton may hook up again on a long pass if the Packers leave Smith in one on one coverage.

To try to tame Aaron Rodgers and the potent Packers offense the Panthers will be blitzing a lot themselves. The Panthers will need another good game from Chris Gamble who played well against Larry Fitzgerald last week.

My biggest concern from the Packers offense is them running the ball effectively and wearing out the Panthers linebackers. Also while Jermichael Finley has an ankle injury he is a threat against the Panthers this week.

The Panthers also must fear rookie returner/receiver Randall Cobb who is a very exciting player.Carolina gave up a punt return touchdown last week to Peterson of the Cardinals though Mike Goodson almost ran him down.

I hope the Panthers can keep the game close and win it at the end but the Packers are a very formable opponent. Cam Newton will probably look more like a rookie against the Packers but it is all part of his learning curve. One thing about Cam Newton is he hates losing and he may just help the Panthers upset the Packers.

Geoff Hangartner has rejoined the Carolina Panthers after having been let go by the Buffalo Bills. I would not be shocked to see Hangartner start against Arizona Cardinals at right guard.

Hangartner is a utility type offensive lineman best suited to guard and he has started games in the past for the Carolina Panthers. Geoff played in Carolina from 2005 to 2008 before joining the Buffalo Bills.

With all the injuries the team has faced Hangartner will help to solidify the offensive line and replace Williams and Schwartz who have been hurt at guard. Hangartner will possibly back up Max Jean-Giles a former Eagle who was also signed recently. I feel that Handgartner’s past relationship with the Carolina offensive line may give him the advantage though.

Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams and company will be glad if either one of the two pickups are able to play well right away. The skill positions of the Carolina Panthers are ok if the linemen can help them out against Arizona.

Defensive tackle Marcus Harrison who was recently brought in failed his physical which left the team a roster spot. I am a little surprised that the team is standing pat at cornerback with players like Lito Sheppard out there. I still think the Panthers may make a move at that position before too much longer.