Four Quarters: A Look at the Carolina Panthers' 2009 Schedule, Pt. 3

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Historically, under John Fox the Panthers follow good seasons with 7-9 efforts. That's not the best sign for the 2009 squad.

But when you look at the reason why, there's a little cause for optimism.

In 2004, injuries to Stephen Davis and Steve Smith killed the offense, and the Panthers started out the season 1-7 before adjusting, and going 6-2 in their final eight games.

In 2006, the offensive line was a revolving door, with Travelle Wharton going out early, Justin Hartwig missing the season to a groin in jury, and Mark Wahle finishing out 2006 on Injured Reserve.

Injuries dogged the Panthers all season, as Steve Smith, Jake Delhomme, Dan Morgan, and Mike Rucker also missed several games to injury that year, and after a somewhat promising 4-2 start the Panthers struggled to finish 8-8.

Although it didn't follow a winning season, in 2007 the Panthers lost Jake Delhomme early and went through three other quarterbacks en route to a 7-9 finish.

Which brings us to 2009. The Panthers are coming off a strong 12-4 effort, and look talented enough to contend once again for the division title.

There are depth concerns on both lines though, and at wide receiver. If the Panthers get hurt at the wrong position, or lose too many people even where they have decent depth, then they'll probably be lucky to be 2-6 at this point.

But this article assumes they'll be healthy, or at least that they'll be able to manage their injuries well. After all, no one wants to think about a "what-if" season where you finish with half of your team on the IR list, right?

So, if Carolina stays healthy, then the Panthers should be at least 4-4 at this point, and will probably be better than that.

You can expect the Panthers to be among the league leaders at running the ball again, and people outside the Carolinas will be surprised to see Jake Delhomme taking care of the ball.

On defense, the players will have adapted well to Meeks' style, but don't look for great stats yet. With the offenses the Panthers face in the first half, just being in the middle of the pack defensively will be an accomplishment.

Around the NFC South, the race will be emerging between the New Orleans Saints and the Panthers. After a dismal start, Tampa Bay will be looking for spoiler opportunities, and Atlanta will be struggling through the difficult part of their schedule with no defense of note.

The Saints will get a slow start, but Williams will have the defense playing better than it has in years, and all the Saints need is a decent unit on that side of the ball to be a real playoff contender.

Their big question will be whether they can win on the road, as they only play three of their last eight in the friendly confines of the Superdome.

The Panthers, on the other hand, only have three road games in the second half, and if they're 5-3 or 6-2 at this point in the season, they'll be the team to beat for the division title.

Games Nine through Twelve

The third quarter of the season looks to be the easiest on the schedule, with three home games and a winnable one on the road. But November is the only month where John Fox has failed to post a winning record.

Here are the games Carolina will play, with thoughts on each.

Week Ten, the Atlanta Falcons

2008 Record: 11-5
2008 Offensive Rank: 6th (14th in Passing, 2nd in Rushing)
2008 Defensive Rank: 24th (21st in Passing, 25th against the run)

So here it goes, rematch time. The first game was in Atlanta early in the season, this contest is in the friendly confines of Bank of America stadium.

In the first contest, the Falcons are coming off a winnable game and will have been riding high. But after they play the Panthers they get to go to New England, to San Francisco, then host Chicago before going to Dallas and to New Orleans. Finally they get a home breather versus a stout Washington defense before facing the Panthers on the road.

Forgive me for thinking they'll have a difficult time assembling a winning record by this point. In fact, this is the part of the season where their wheels are going to start to come off.

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