The Panthers just didn’t have enough zip on offense to stick with the Patriots today.  Matt Moore was so-so as he completed 15 of 30 passes for 197 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  DeAngelo Williams was solid with 13 carries for 82 yards (6.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg).  Jonathan Stewart pitched in with 29 yards rushing on 7 carries (4.1 ypc) today.  Steve Smith only caught 2 passes but they were good for 83 yards (41.5 avg) with a TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 7 yards (3.5 ypc).  The Panthers finished up with 305 total yards on offense (126 rushing, 179 passing) in his game despite only having the ball for 25:45.

LBs Jon Beason (16 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss) and Dan Connor (11 tackles) led the way for a Panthers’ D that was pushed around a little bit in this game.  The Patriots finished up with 377 total yards on offense (185 rushing, 192 passing) in his game.  The Panthers are now 5-8 on the year.

This will be a tough game for the Panthers as the Patriots are likely in a very bad mood after losing last week.  The Panthers will have a decent shot of making this game competitive if DeAngelo Williams can go this weekend.  Regardless, the Panthers will be leaning on the running game with Jonathan Stewart if Williams can’t go.  The Patriots are allowing 107.9 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry so their are yards to be had in the running game.  That’s good news because Matt Moore will likely have trouble getting the ball downfield in this game as the Patriots will no doubt be doubling Steve Smith.

The Patriots are going to come out throwing the ball to put pressure on the Panthers to get out of their gameplan on offense.  DE Julius Peppers has to get to Tom Brady in this game or it could be a long day for the defense.  The Panthers need to force the Patriots out of the passing game and that is almost impossible to do.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 33, PANTHERS 13

Jonathon Stewart carried the Carolina Panthers (5-7) to an ugly win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-11) on Sunday.  Stewart carried the ball 26 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.  Stewart’s rushing touchdown was the only touchdown of the game, by either team.  Matt Moore didn’t have a particularly good game at quarterback for the Panthers, throwing an interception and 161 yards on 14/20 passes, but he easily outplayed his counterpart.  Buccaneers’ quarterback Josh Freeman had 5 interceptions and barely completed 50% of his passes.  Moore was efficient and did enough to get the win, but the Panthers would like to see better out of him as it looks like Jake Delhomme (finger) is going to be put on the IR.

The Panthers defense did a great job, but they got a lot of gifts from Freeman.  They did give up way too many yards (469), but they kept the Bucs out of the endzone and only allowed two second quarter field goals.  Jon Beason was the star for the defense, as he was the main reason the Bucs went 0-4 in the red zone.  Beason had two interceptions, one coming in the endzone and the other right near the goal line.  Overall this was an ugly game, but a win is a win and the Panthers are always happy with any win.

The Panthers have claimed 26-year old DT Derek Landri off waivers from the Jaguars.  He played in 7 games for the Jaguars this season and he had 13 tackles and a sack.  Landri has now played 3 years in the NFL appearing in 35 games in which he has made 39 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he has 3 sacks.  This was a good move for the Panthers who might throw Landri right into the fire this Sunday against the Bucs.

The Panthers have lost DT Tank Tyler for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.  Tyler played in 6 games for the Panthers this season making 8 tackles.  He finishes his season playing in 12 games for the Panthers & Chiefs this season in which he made 30 tackles.  The Panthers will miss Tyler the rest of the year but the 24-year old will get a chance to be a big part of the future starting next season.

The Carolina Panthers (4-7) are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-10) and will be without their starting quarterback Jake Delhomme (finger).  This may very well be a blessing in disguise for the Panthers, as Delhomme has been awful this season.  Matt Moore will be getting the start at quarterback, and he has a much better arm than Delhomme.  Moore hasn’t started a game in two years though, and has not had a very good career so far in the NFL.  Still, Panthers’ receivers are excited to play with Moore as he can throw the ball deep very well.  Moore will probably limited though, so Jonathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams will need to have strong games.  Both backs are banged up though, and Williams (ankle) may not play.  The Bucs give up over 160 rushing yards per game though, so I don’t think it will matter too much who is carrying the ball.

The Panthers defense should not have too many problems with the Josh Freeman led offense.  Freeman, who is a rookie, has had his ups and downs this year, mostly downs.  The Panthers have a great pass defense, so they should be able to force the youngster into some turnovers.  They don’t stop the run very well though, so they need to be ready for Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward to get a lot of carries for the Bucs.  This will probably be an ugly game, but the Panthers have much better defense so they should win pretty easily.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Carolina Panthers 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10

The Panthers have signed 24-year old linebacker Quinton Culberson.  Culberson played in 1 game for the Rams earlier this season and he made 1 tackle.  He has now played in 31 games in his three years in the NFL and he has made 75 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he has forced 2 fumbles.  This was nothing more than a depth and special teams signing for the Panthers.