Philadelphia Eagles come to Charlotte for the home opener.  Yes, Michael Vick is apart of the Eagles team however, he will not be able to play until Week 3.  So, Vick will not be a factor in this game.  Donovan McNabb will have a solid game just like he usually does the first game of the year, but it will not be enough to stop the legs of DeAngelo Williams.  The Panther defense will be a little slow getting into rhythm, but by the second half all defensive woes will be eased.  The Panthers had a solid home game showing last year and this first game will be no different.

Final Score:  Eagles  20,  Panthers  24 (Panthers 1-0)  Win

The second game of the season the Panthers go down to “Hotlanta” to visit the Falcons.  Matt Ryan has a strong on-field presence along with a phenomenal running back Michael Turner.  Turner will have a fantastic home showing.  Falcons quarterback Ryan and wide receiver Roddy White will hook-up for a couple scores and we will see the same on the Panther side with Delhomme and Smith.  Overall this game will be close and fun to watch.  Unfortunately, we don’t think that the Panthers will have enough for the Falcons at home.

Final Score:  Panthers  17,  Falcons  27 (Panthers 1-1)  Loss

 The Panthers will be going down to the big “D” for game three against the Dallas Cowboys.  A fantastic new scoreboard will probably get more attention than the game itself.  By the third game, Dallas will be ready to win at home again but it will not happen on our watch.  Carolina and Dallas will be in the national spotlight on Monday Night Football.  Smash and Dash (Williams and Stewart) will turn up the volume for the big show.  If the Panthers do lose to the Falcons they will be hungry and wanting to avoid embarrassment in primetime.

Final Score:  Cowboys  24,  Panthers  28  (Panthers 2-1)  Win

In game four the Panthers come home to take on the Washington Redskins.  This matchup is always interesting and close.  You can probably go ahead and flip a coin to determine the winner for this game.  If Smith and Williams have a big game the Panthers probably take this one home; however, considering that this game will be the Panthers third game playing teams out of the NFC East we think the game will go to the Redskins.

Final Score:  Redskins  21, Panthers  17  (Panthers 2-2)  Loss

Game five the Tampa Bay Buccaneers open the front door for the Panthers.  Even though they are hosting with backs Graham and Williams they will need more than lemonade and cookies to take down the Panthers.  The Bucs will be fighting the quarterback woes all year.  The Panther defense will be cranking by the time they arrive in the Bay.  Panthers win this one easily.

Final Score:  Panthers  35,  Bucs  17  (Panthers 3-2)  Win

After smashing the Bucs the Panthers will head back home to the T.O. Show.  The Buffalo Bills come calling but they better bring more than Mr. Owens.  The Bills receiving will try to challenge the Panthers secondary but to no avail.  Carolina’s running game will prove to be too much for the BB’s.

Final Score:  Bills  17,  Panthers  27  (Panthers 4-2)  Win

Game seven the Panthers seek revenge and fly to Arizona to take on the Cardinals.  All of Panther nation will be seeking redemption from the playoff loss of last year.  If Warner stays healthy the Cardinals will be tough to beat at home with Fitz and Bold.  If the Giants are nice enough to let Warner walk off the field the week before then the Cards will win.  Panther fans will not get the satisfaction they have been needing.

Final Score:  Panthers  21,  Cardinals  31  (Panthers 4-3)  Loss

After visiting the desert the Panthers will go down to the Big Easy for game eight.  The New Orleans Saints will be popping the champagne and roasting the crawdads.  The Panthers defense will see the top rated QB Drew Brees.  The spread offense of the Saints will definitely challenge the new defense of Ron Meeks.  The Panthers will have their moments of glory but the passing precision of Brees will be to much for the “D”-fence.

Final Score:  Panthers  17,  Saints  28  (Panthers 4-4)  Loss

Halftime:  Through eight games the Panthers will be even in wins and losses.  The Panthers schedule is one of the toughest this year and will prove to be just that.  We hope that some of these losses will be close games and the Panthers will come through in the clutch.

In game nine the Panthers turn around and host the Atlanta Falcons.  The loss to the Falcons will be on the minds of all Panthers and the “Dirty Birds” will get plucked in Charlotte.

Final Score:  Falcons  20,  Panthers 28  (Panthers 5-4)  Win

Game ten will welcome the “Wildcat” offense to the ole North State.  The Miami Dolphins will step off the plane and head to Mint Street to face our cats.  The Panthers will scratch out the eyes of the hip-hop accelerated Dolphin offense.  Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington will be ineffective and Steve Smith will have his biggest game of the year.

Final Score:  Dolphins  14,  Panthers  30  (Panthers 6-4)  Win

The Panthers will jet-set up to New York and face off with the Jets in game eleven.  Mark Sanchez will be hitting his stride by the time the Panthers visit.  The Jets will be showing improvement on the offense with their new quarterback but the Panthers experienced veteran Jake Delhomme will throw a wrench in the engines of the Jets defense.

Final Score:  Panthers 34,  Jets  20  (Panthers 7-4)  Win

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sail into Panther stadium with a bottle of rum and a huge hangover for game twelve.  The Bucs season continues to fall apart and will be in need of a return by the ole’ pirate Vinny Testaverde.

Final Score:  Bucs  14,  Panthers  27  (Panthers 8-4)  Win

By the time we get to game thirteen the Panthers are on a roll; however, the wheel falls off in Cambridge.  The New England Patriots break out the snow plows and below zero temps for this December outing.  The Patriots take advantage of being at home and the elements will hamper the Panthers running game.

Final Score:  Panthers  17,  Patriots  27  (Panthers  8-5)  Loss

In game fourteen the Minnesota Vikings come to Panther country with a beat-up Brett Favre.  We think that Favre will be lucky to make it to Charlotte.  If Brett does play in this game he will be tired and ineffective.  The running game on both sides of the ball will keep this game interesting.

Final Score:  Vikings 20,  Panthers  24  (Panthers  9-5)  Win

The Carolina Panthers get back on the jet to take on the “not-so-small” New York Giants in game fifteen.  By the time we get to the end of the season all the talk will be about this game because the Giants will also have a winning record.  This game will be a preview of the playoffs.  The Giants will be strong, but the Panthers will dance in their end zone to bring home the win.

Final Score:  Panthers  21,  Giants  17  (Panthers  10-5)  Win

The last game of the season will be in our house against the New Orleans Saints.  The previous loss against the Saints will be burning in our minds, but there is nothing the Panthers will be able to do.  The Panthers will have to wait until 2010 to win a game against the Saints.

Final Score:  Saints  30,  Panthers  24  (Panthers  10-6)  Loss

Season Wrap-Up

The Panthers will have another great season and make it to the playoffs.  The deciding factor for the Panthers will be their defensive effort and avoiding injuries since they are handcuffed by salary cap restraints and rewarding “bigger-than-normal” contracts.

A typical Sunday during regular season brings some exciting variables around my house.  I usually get up on Sunday morning, check my email, eat breakfast; shower up, put on my Panther garb and then get ready for the game.  I watch the pregame shows while picking my spot in the living room to watch the game.  As the pregame shows end the coverage flips to the game.  The music plays and the commentators welcome us to the matchup.  There is just something about gameday.

So to help me relieve the boredom, let’s jump ahead and look at the Carolina Panthers first regular season matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

Donovan McNabb and company come calling to the Queen city of Charlotte on September 13th at 1:00pm.  I’m sure the media attention will be on Michael Vick but that will be okay with me.  I really don’t care what Vick does because the odds of him playing in the game are slim.  I think we will be treated to the DeAngelo show and McNabb will play with his usual flare.  Who knows, maybe Everette Brown will get his first NFL sack on McNabb.  Another questionable player is Brian Westbrook.  The Eagles star tailback is coming off of ankle surgery and this could slow him down hitting his gaps and cutting back against the grain.  We can only hope that his recovery isn’t 100% successful for Game 1 at Bank of America Stadium.

The biggest prayer that could be answered would be Jonathan Stewart running out through the tunnel in full battle gear.  If Stewart can get some reps; the Eagles defense will have a hard time stopping the run.

We only have 21 days left until kickoff.  Everybody get your jerseys ready and stock up the fridge.  Are you ready for some football??

By the way, the Panthers lost in preseason game #2 against the Dolphins.  Final score:  Panthers 17, Dolphins 27