Steve Smith’s twisting, leaping under two-minutes catch is the highlight and DeAngelo Williams’ 4 TDs the headline, but if you want an MVP, try KR Mark Jones. The guy signed after the season started as a stop-gap had almost 200 yards in returns, repeatedly giving the Panthers a short field to work with.
No way Carolina puts up 35 points without that help. The Panthers’ “drives” consisted of a big play and a punch-in. Meanwhile, the Packers were going up and down the field — a scoring drive of 95 yards even — on a Trgo defense that absolutely refuses to pressure young QBs.
Let’s see what Carolina does with Jeff Garcia next week on Monday night with the entire football world watching. He is a guy who has positively shredded the Cats when given time and space. It is an absolute must-win game if the Panthers want to win the division and host a playoff game. Besides, I think you need at least two more wins to be in the a wild-card hunt. You don’t want to get caught in some wonky tie-breaker with the damn Cowboys, which could happen even at 12-4.
Bonus Observation: Jonathan Stewart needs to get right real quick for the Bucs. Cramping up on cold day in Green Bay is not a lingering thing, but his explosiveness was missed. Had he had more than four carries Stewart would’ve ripped off a couple more big runs.
