Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas
Logic dictated that I come to New Orleans to cover the battle between the undefeated Saints against the Giants.
That game turned into a blowout for New Orleans pretty quickly and I wound up missing the showdown for last place in the NFC South back in Tampa. The Panthers and the Bucs played a game that turned out being more interesting than anyone could have expected, and the Panthers eked out the win.
What does that tell us about the Bucs? They’re the worst team in the NFC South and maybe the worst in the league. But, hey, at least they were in this game. That’s progress.
The more amazing thing is that the Panthers suddenly are within a game of .500. In back-to-back weeks, Carolina narrowly has beaten very bad teams -- Tampa Bay and Washington. The Panthers have a home game with Buffalo next week and the Bills aren’t exactly an elite team.
I’m by no means convinced the Panthers have turned their season around or will turn their season around. They have all sorts of problems that need to be fixed. But if they can get on a three-game winning streak -- no matter how ugly -- they might suddenly remember they were supposed to be a pretty good team.
Logic dictated that I come to New Orleans to cover the battle between the undefeated Saints against the Giants.
That game turned into a blowout for New Orleans pretty quickly and I wound up missing the showdown for last place in the NFC South back in Tampa. The Panthers and the Bucs played a game that turned out being more interesting than anyone could have expected, and the Panthers eked out the win.
What does that tell us about the Bucs? They’re the worst team in the NFC South and maybe the worst in the league. But, hey, at least they were in this game. That’s progress.
The more amazing thing is that the Panthers suddenly are within a game of .500. In back-to-back weeks, Carolina narrowly has beaten very bad teams -- Tampa Bay and Washington. The Panthers have a home game with Buffalo next week and the Bills aren’t exactly an elite team.
I’m by no means convinced the Panthers have turned their season around or will turn their season around. They have all sorts of problems that need to be fixed. But if they can get on a three-game winning streak -- no matter how ugly -- they might suddenly remember they were supposed to be a pretty good team.
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