Pro Sports
Email
Print
Panthers facing pivotal stretch
Carolina, 8-2, will play four of its final six on road, starting Sunday at Atlanta
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: November 18, 2008
CHARLOTTE
John Fox takes exception to the notion that the Carolina Panthers have just made it through the easy part of their schedule.
But there's no disputing that there's nothing easy about what remains, starting with Sunday's trip to Atlanta. The Panthers will face three division leaders and their three NFC South rivals the rest of the way, with four of the six games on the road.
After Sunday, the Panthers will play at NFC North co-leading Green Bay (Nov. 29), at home against Tampa Bay (Dec. 8) and AFC West-leading Denver (Dec. 14) and at the NFC East leading New York Giants (Dec. 21) and New Orleans (Dec. 28).
"The only thing we're assured of is 8-8, and every one of these is going to be important," Fox said yesterday. "But the only one we're focused on right now is this week's."
The Panthers lead the NFC South at 8-2 after their fourth straight win, 31-22 Sunday over Detroit.
They have struggled in different phases of the last two games. In a 17-6 win at Oakland on Nov. 9, the offense bogged down and the defense and special teams rose to the occasion. And Sunday, the defense was inconsistent but the offense ran for a franchise-record 264 yards.
The Lions (0-10) are the only winless team in the NFL, and the Raiders (2-8) have the fourth-worst record. But Fox didn't like the suggestion that the Panthers had a break in the schedule the past two weeks.
"That's how you guys look at it, (but) you don't play the game," Fox told reporters. "They (the players) have to play the game. They don't look at these last two like they were a walk in the park. And they weren't. If you ask Miami yesterday, I don't think they thought it was a walk in the park. These guys know different."
Fox said he was pleased with the progress of the running game, which has had a 100-yard rusher for three straight games. Jonathan Stewart rushed for 130 yards, and DeAngelo Williams had 120 against Detroit, marking the first time that the Panthers have had two backs exceed 100 yards in the same game. Williams ran for 140 against Oakland and for 108 against Arizona.
"We improved (Sunday) in the run game," Fox said. "I think we've improved steadily throughout the season. We've had to shuffle around the offensive line some. The coaching staff on that side of the ball has done an excellent job of adjusting. We've got two fine running backs, and I think people are starting to notice, and we need to build on that.
"I think we can be more efficient in the pass game, and I believe we will. We've shown glimpses of that. Two weeks ago I thought was one of our poorer performances of the season, and I thought yesterday was much better…."
Fox isn't nearly as worried about the defense, even though it spotted the Lions an early 10-0 lead.
"I thought we started a little slow defensively, more mentally than physically," Fox said. "I thought we were way better in the second half. But all things are fixable overall. I think that side of the ball has been pretty good. It's good to have the bar raised where it is."
■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.
Email
Print
