Minecraft Disskusion » this week will mark the first road playoff

Being long shots is nothing new for the Carolina Panthers. Paul Westphal Jersey . Carolina, 10.5-point underdogs to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, were ruled out of playoffs before December by most fans and media members. Yet, the Panthers reeled off four straight wins in December after a six-game losing skid and squeaked into the playoffs as NFC South champions. The Panthers season rarely lacked drama; a 37-37 tie against the Cincinnati Bengals proved key in their playoff berth and a car crash that forced quarterback Cam Newton to miss a crucial game in December. In a surprising turn of events, the Panthers entered their Wild Card matchup against the 11-5 - yet, heavily banged-up - Arizona Cardinals as six-point favourites. The Panthers covered the spread with a 27-16 victory and held the Cardinals to a post-season record 78 yards. However, the Panthers turned the ball over three times against the Cardinals, a stat line they will need to avoid against the much stronger Seattle Seahawks. Newton, who returned in Week 16 after missing one week with two back fractures due to the accident, threw one interception and lost a fumble against the Cardinals. Those things cant happen,” Newton said after his first career playoff win, “especially in playoff football. We cant expect to win when we have three turnovers. The 2011 first-overall pick struggled in many during the regular season, including against the Seahawks in Week 8, but has thrown seven touchdowns to two interceptions in his last four games. Newton has also rushed for 232 yards on 37 carries in that span – an average of over six yards per carry. Newton’s may need to put his legs on display once again against a Seahawks defence known for their ability to play the pass. With All-Pros Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas likely to be locked on Newton’s top targets, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen, Newton may be forced to make plays on his known for the Panthers to have a chance. Benjamin and Olsen tied for the Panthers lead with 1,008 receiving yards, but will face a tough test against the Seahawks ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary. The entire Carolina receiving core had a quiet day against the Panthers, but nine players made a catch in the win. Little used receiver Philly Brown and second-string tight end Ed Dickson each chipped in gains of 20 yards and running back Fozzy Whittaker scored a touchdown on a 39-yard screen pass. Though Brown’s status remains unclear for Saturday due to a shoulder injury, the Panthers will again need depth players to step up against a top defence. Though the Seahawks secondary attracts most of the attention, the team’s stingy front seven make running the football also extremely difficult. Running back Jonathan Stewart has played a key role in the Panthers current win streak, and was one of the NFL’s hottest back to close the season. In their matchup earlier this season, Stewart was able to gain 79 yards against the NFL’s third-ranked run defence. He will look to better that mark in Seattle this time around. As a team, the Panthers gained 188 yards on the ground against the Cardinals in Wild Card weekend, a number unlikely to be reached this week. The Seahawks gave up more than 160 rushing yards twice this season, in losses to the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. Coming off their historic performance, the Panthers will not have the benefit of matching up against a third string quarterback this week. Instead, the unit will take on the league’s top dual-threat quarterback this season in Russell Wilson. In their first matchup, Wilson threw for 199 yards with a touchdown and interception while rushing for 35 yards. Their success against Wilson and star running back Marshawn Lynch (14, 62 carries) will be something the improving group will hope to emulate. With their win over the Cardinals, the Panther became the sixth team to win a playoff game after finishing the regular season at .500 or worse and win a playoff game. Unfortunately for the Panthers, all five teams in that category before them have lost in the divisional round – including the 2010 Seattle Seahawks. But recent history is not on the side of the Seahawks either. Coming Super Bowl wins, no defending champion has won a playoff game since the 2005 New England Patriots. That win came in the same playoffs as the Panthers and Seahawks only other playoff meeting. The Seahawks won that game 34-14 and this week will mark the first road playoff game the Panthers have played since. In their return to road postseason action – and Seattle – the Panthers are 10.5-underdogs to the defending champions. Keeping the game close will be of the utmost importance for the Panthers as they hope to keep their unlikely run towards to the Super Bowl alive. Slick Watts Jersey . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. John Johnson Jersey . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line. https://www.supersonicsjerseys.com/890s-ray-allen-jersey-supersonics.html . "I only want to go through this one more time," Crosby said Friday. The 24-year-old captain hasnt played since the symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on Dec. 5. Doctors allowed him to return to full practice on Tuesday and while Crosby is pleased with the way his body is responding he refuses to put on his return.Kevin Davies has backed Sam Allardyce to unite the England squad and believes his ambition and drive can inspire the players to better performances. Davies played under him at Bolton and helped the club obtain European football as they enjoyed a spell towards the top end of the Premier League table.The 39-year-old was impressed with the harmony Allardyce brought to a Wanderers squad comprised of multiple nationalities. Some England players have been accused of lacking the passion and desire needed to reach their peak while on international duty.With his experience at Bolton in mind, Davies thinks Allardyce - credited for being a great motivator - will get the players he picks focused on wanting to succeed as much as he does.He told Sky Sports News HQ: Straight away I had a rapport with him. Sams one of these managers you want to play for and hes got that character about him. Davies was impressed with the way Allardyce brought several nationalities together into a tight unit at Bolton Hes a big personality and he knows exactly when to push you, when to give you the carrot and when to crack the whip.Ive worked under a dozen or so managers and his man-management skills are second to none. I enjoyed my four or five years working underneath him.He gets the best out of you as individuals but also as a team. The first thing that strikes you about him is his ambition and his determination to be the best.That filters through to the players. We had 18 or 19 nationalities in the Bolton dressing room at one time but he found a way of bringing us all together. England have confirmed Allardyce as their new manager on a two-year deal He galvanises a squad of players and if anyone goes against that, theyre quickly found out and they could find themsellves out of the squad. Gus Williams Jersey. He wont suffer any fools.We want to see what Wales did, what Iceland did, Portugal, Italy. They had a real togetherness and got on well on and off the pitch. Thats something Sam really specialises in.He will pick players not only based on their ability but for their personalities as well. He will look at the whole chemistry within the team as well and I firmly believe he will be a success. Former England defender Jamie Carragher believes Allardyce was the best candidate for the job Sky Sports pundit Tony Cottee is convinced the FA have made the best choice they could and added: Im really pleased.First and foremost, I think we should always pick the best Englishman available to be the manager of England.Obviously there were others in the running - the likes of Steve Bruce and Glenn Hoddle, who would also have been good choices - but Ive always been a fan of Sam.Hes always got the best out of his teams and he will certainly get this England squad well organised and I think well see an improvement on what went on in the summer. Sky Sports Tony Cottee thinks Allardyce was the best choice The FA could make as England boss Ultimately professional football is about winning and we need to get closer to winning with England.I know they didnt perform in the summer for whatever reason but they are capable of doing much, much better.Sam will get them organised, hell get a strong back four in place and every player will know exactly what theyre doing. Thats half the battle. Also See: England appoint Allardyce How England made the decision Who will Allardyce play? England fixtures ' ' '