5 pivotal matchups the Panthers must win vs. the Vikings in Week 6

Carolina Panthers HC Matt Rhule vs. Mike Zimmer

Whether the front office of either team would like to admit it or not, Matt Rhule and Mike Zimmer are both squarely on the hot seat heading into Week 6.

Both coaches have presided over collapse after collapse and neither team has lived up to expectations. So they will be looking for a cool-off moment come Sunday.

The Carolina Panthers have only scored in the third quarter once all season and seem to come out flat every single week. Not making any adjustments as the game goes on.

Zimmer’s team – on the other hand – have not scored a touchdown in the second half in four weeks, which also shows a lack of urgency and adjustments.

This game, above all else, will come down to who can score in the second half. Which coach can get things together and start pushing the right buttons coming out of the locker room.

Gone is the time for conservative playcalling and protecting leads. Be aggressive from the word go and never let up. If that gets you in trouble so be it, the effort is what’s important now.

Come out of that locker room on fire and ready to put the other team down for good. Make a statement on the first drive. Prove that you can play a complete game.

Both Zimmer and Rhule seem to take their foot off the gas the moment they can see the green on the other side of the game. That is playing with fire and it almost came back to bite them both in Week 5.

It’s put up or shut up time for these teams and this is a game with a potential job on the line. It just remains to be seen how they each react to the pressure.