By Brad Simmons
After two weeks of the NFL regular season, the Carolina Panthers are 2-0, and both wins have come against formidable teams. In the first week, the Panthers scored on the last play of the game to take down the team that many think will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl - the San Diego Chargers.
Carolina’s second game against Chicago featured more late-game heroics - this time it was a comeback from a 17-3 deficit to stun a Bears team that was coming off a thrashing of Indianapolis.
All this without arguably it’s best player - Steve Smith.
Put him in the fold, and the sky is the limit for the Panthers.
This 2008 team reminds me a lot of the 2002-2003 team that made a run to Super Bowl XXXVIII.
They have a lot of the same parts - a good defense, two good running backs, Steve Smith, Muhsin Muhammad and the orchestrator of it all, Jake Delhomme.
That road could be tough with Dallas, Philadelphia and the New York Giants sitting atop the conference, but make no mistake about it, the Panthers belong up there as well…
Obviously, we’ll have to see how it all unfolds.
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