Vikings Prepare for Panthers

It’s gotta feel good to be recognized as one of the NFL’s most surprisingly good teams of the year. The Panthers have already struck down two of the best teams in the league (San Diego and Chicago), and they’re only bound to get better with Steve Smith coming back into Carolina’s lineup. Coming off a discouraging defeat last week against Indianapolis, however, the Vikings are on the other side of the spectrum. Minnesota has prepared for Sunday’s upcoming matchup against the Panthers by changing their offensive tactic. After losing two straight games in a row, Minnesota coach Brad Childress announced this week that Gus Frerotte will take Tarvaris Jackson’s spot as starting quarterback for this week’s game against the Panthers, trying to make their team more immune to Carolina’s newly-found toughness and sense of camaraderie.

As for the Panthers, everyone is expecting Smith to be back and ready for action, but the team’s only setback is the uncertainty of left guard Travelle Wharton, who has been out due to a knee sprain and has yet to announce his return for this week’s Vikings/Panthers matchup. Stay tuned for Sunday’s game to see how things with Frerotte and Wharton turn out.

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