Few people expected the Panthers to go into St. Louis and earn a spot in the NFC Championship game by beating the high-octane Rams. Few people thought Carolina would get by a veteran Eagles squad and gain a spot in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
While the Panthers have earned many more believers in the last few weeks, they still enter the season's final game as a decided underdog. However, they were the underdog against St. Louis and Philadelphia and still managed to win. They will do the same in Houston against the New England Patriots this weekend and earn the title of NFL Champions.
Carolina has the team that can halt the Pats' winning ways. The key component of the Panthers attack will be their defensive line. No front four in the league can top Carolina's, and that talented group has peaked in this year's postseason. They were the main reason that both the high-octane Rams offense and the Eagles' dangerous Donovan McNabb were largely held in check.
Their ability to pressure the quarterback will be especially significant against Tom Brady and the pass-happy New England offense. Brady had all kinds of time in the AFC Championship game against the hapless Colts' pass rush and in turn was able to stay in a positive rhythm for much of the game.
In contrast, the Panthers' defense matches up well against the Pats, as they are able to generate pressure using just their four linemen and can thereby drop seven men into coverage to blanket the New England receivers. Without a consistent running attack, New England will be hard pressed to solve the quandary of the Panthers defense, particularly since standout offensive lineman Damien Woody will be unable to play due to injury.
Offensively, the Panthers will have their share of struggles against the outstanding New England defensive unit. The Patriots will do all they can to attempt to stop Carolina's powerful running game, led by bruising back Stephen Davis.
As good as New England is at containing an opponent's offensive strength, the Panthers' running attack is peaking. The two-week layoff will give Davis plenty of time to fully recover from injuries that kept him out of the end of the St. Louis game, and backup DeShaun Foster is running with effectiveness and confidence.
A major key will be the status of Patriots linebacker Teddy Bruschi. If he is not 100 percent, the tough task of stopping the Panthers' running game will be even more difficult.
While the Panthers have admittedly played in a weaker conference than the Patriots this year and generally have not successfully faced the same level of competition, this opinion was washed away over the last few weeks. Carolina traveled to arguably two of the toughest road venues in the league and emerged victorious both times in its past two games.
The Patriots have benefited from playing at home throughout the postseason, and playing in Houston will be a stark contrast to snowy Foxboro, and no longer will New England benefit from playing in front of a home crowd.
With no clear advantage that would heavily favor either team, the x-factor will be the powerful Carolina running game and dominating defensive line. Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster will simply wear down the Patriots, and the constant pressure from the Panthers defensive front will prevent Tom Brady from finding his rhythm.
Carolina is the team of destiny that New England was two seasons ago, plus they have the dominating combination of running and defense seen in the other two most recent champions: Tampa Bay and Baltimore. These factors along with Carolina's ability to consistently come out on top in close contests will bring the Panthers their first Super Bowl victory.
