Carolina Panthers defeat New Orleans Saints

The Carolina Panthers showed one last surge of life today to defeat the New Orleans Saints by a score of 31-21. The Panthers finished the season with a .500 record, 8-8 and got the final win they needed to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, since the New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins last night, it will be the Giants representing the NFC Wildcard in the playoffs as opposed to the Panthers. Panthers Tickets will be available shortly for the 2007 season through Stubhub.com.

The tragic thing about this game was that the Panthers went into it knowing the outcome was meaningless. Their fate already determined, you have to hand it to the Panthers who went out there and played their hearts out in a convincing win against the playoff-bound Saints. The Panthers did finish the season with a 5-1 record against other NFC South teams and swept the Saints this season. Jake Delhomme threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns but it was too little, too late for the Panthers. The Saints, having already clinched the Number 2 seed, played their bench players for much of the game rather than risk injury. Now that it is all said and done, the Panthers will likely start looking for answers to the questions they should have been asking back in April.

Panthers Close with Win over Saints

The Panthers ended their disappointing 2006 season with a record of 8-8 after a win over the New Orleans Saints.  Although the Saints had nothing to gain by playing to win, it was a close game, ending up with a score of 31-21.  The Panthers were led by QB Jake Delhomme, who completed 23 of 27 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns.  Both of these touchdown passes went to superstar WR Steve Smith.

The Panthers will probably look back on this season with a theme of “what might have been.”  They were a talented  team that had a lot of injuries and lost more than a few games they should’ve won.  Regardless, Panthers tickets for next season will be in high demand, and StubHub is the place to go to find them.

Panthers Get Early Start on Next Season

The Panthers may be eliminated from the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean that the front office isn’t still hard at work building the team for next year.  The Panthers beat the NFL’s deadline for placing deals on this year’s salary cap by signing two players, Nick Goings and Jeremy Bridges, to contract extensions.

Goings has long been a valuable backup and spot starter in the backfield, and keeping him around at a reasonable price will add stability to an offense that needs it.  Bridges was also a valuable part of this year’s team, as injuries forced him to start 13 games at tackle, where he acquitted himself quite well.

It’s never too early to start thinking about Panthers tickets, as the team is already building for the future.

Panthers’ Defense Receives Scrutiny

Now that it looks like the Panthers won’t be part of the NFC playoff field, local columnists have begun to take an introspective look at the team, and the first salvo seems to have been fired before the team plays its final game.  In a piece printed in the Charlotte Observer today, writer Pat Yasinskas closely analyzes the Panthers’ defense.

The Panthers have a strong defensive reputation around the NFL, and as the piece points out, Carolina does rank 9th in total defense, but that could be merely a mirage.  The Panthers have suffered through several injuries, most notably to stalwarts DT Kris Jenkins, who’s now missed most of the past two seasons, and MLB Dan Morgan, who has also had his share of injuries during his career.

Overall, the Panthers don’t need to completely rebuild a defense, but age, injury and salary cap considerations will all play a factor in who will line up with the starting 11 in 2007.  Of course, you won’t have the same questions to answer when you look for Panthers tickets for next season.  The answer to that question is always the same - StubHub.com.