Defense Keeps Panthers' Playoff Hopes Alive, But It Won't Save Sinking Season

Apparently the Carolina Panthers like life on the edge.

After dropping five of their first six games, the Panthers peeled off two wins in a row to offer fans some hope of a fourth straight trip to the playoffs. But after blowing a 17-0 lead at home against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, those hopes appeared all but dashed.

Well, Carolina again rose from the dead with a 23-20 win over the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on Thursday night. And while quarterback Cam Newton may have been the team (and NFL) MVP during a run to the Super Bowl last year, it was the defense that performed CPR on the Panthers' season in Week 11.

The defense may have saved the day this time. But it can't save the season—especially with its best player potentially on the shelf.

The offense wasn't exactly helpful. Playing against a Saints team that had allowed just over 400 yards a game (29th in the NFL), the Panthers generated only 223 yards of offense. The ground game was particularly awful, managing just 50 yards.

That's over 60 yards under the team's season average of 113.9 coming into Thursday's action.

Sure, there were flashes here and there, including a beautiful catch by wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. in the back of the end zone.

But for most of the game, the Panthers offense was, well, offensive. It recorded one first down in the entire fourth quarter.

So, it fell to linebacker Luke Kuechly, safety Kurt Coleman and the Carolina defense to bring home the win. Kuechly, who entered the week second in the NFC and fourth in the league with 88 tackles, piled up 14 stops. Coleman added nine tackles and an interception. And defensive end Mario Addison notched a pair of sacks.

For three quarters, the Panthers dominated the NFL's top-ranked offense, holding the Saints to only three points.

But NFL games have four quarters—and in the fourth quarter, the wheels came off for Carolina.

It wasn't just that the Panthers, for the second week in a row, allowed their opponent to mount a comeback. In some ways, this time it was understandable, because Carolina suffered a pair of defensive injuries that could be absolute back-breakers.

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

First, Addison, who leads the team with 6.5 sacks, limped off the field and did not return. And when Addison left, he took the pass rush with him, which helped facilitate the New Orleans comeback.

Then Kuechly, the heart and soul of the Panthers defense, took a shot that left him sobbing on the playing surface.

Given those tears and the fact Kuechly was carted off, there was speculation that he may have suffered a serious knee or leg injury. But as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted, Kuechly was actually taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion:

And before anyone surmises that Kuechly and the Panthers dodged a bullet, consider his tears on the field. Or the fact that the only three games Kuechly has missed in his career were the result of a similarly scary concussion at the beginning of last season.

Carolina veteran linebacker Thomas Davis told NBC's Heather Cox after the game that he had a simple message for his teammate: "I just told him that we were going to go out and finish this game for him."

"It's just that," Davis said. "Staying focused and finishing as a football team. We put ourselves in a bad situation once we got a big lead, and we allowed them to get back in the game. But tonight we did a great job as a football team of finishing the game."

Yes, the Panthers (narrowly) averted disaster and a second straight collapse. But if Kuechly's out for any length of time, they are done.

They're all but toast even if he isn't.

Team	W-L	GB
Atlanta Falcons	6-4	—
Tampa Bay Buccaneers*	4-5	1.5
New Orleans Saints	4-6	2
Carolina Panthers	4-6	2

At 4-6, and with the entire NFC East above .500, Carolina probably has to win out to even have a shot at a wild-card spot or to catch the Atlanta Falcons in the South.

That means going to Oakland in Week 12 and beating a first-place Raiders team with the NFL's fifth-ranked offense.

The Raiders have allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL and have one of the league's best one-two punches at wide receiver in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. They'll be pitted against the Panthers' erratic pass rush and a pair of rookie starters at cornerback.

Then Carolina has to travel to Seattle and beat the Seahawks. The same Seattle team that's once again cresting in the second half of the season. The same Seattle team that's no doubt itching for payback after it got bounced from the playoffs in Charlotte last year.

That's just to get to .500.

C'mon, man.

There are just too many problems. The run game has been as inconsistent as the pass rush. Whether by design or subconsciously—he's taken a pounding this season—Newton isn't running the ball especially often or especially effectively.

General manager Dave Gettleman's decision that Josh Norman was expendable has blown up in the secondary's face, as a combination of conservative play-calling and defensive lapses has made the Panthers seemingly allergic to holding a lead.

Otherwise known as San Diego syndrome.

And now Carolina could be short-handed for a game against one of the NFL's most potent offenses.

Sure, the Falcons could fade down the stretch a la last year. Other NFC teams ahead of the Panthers could follow suit. And Carolina could reel off several wins in a row.

But we haven't seen one piece of evidence that would lead us to think any of those things will happen, and the Panthers need them all to.

It's been a good run. No other team in the NFC South has won two consecutive division titles, let alone three. And Carolina's win over New Orleans on Thursday kept alive the dream of four in a row.

But that dream's on life support. The prognosis isn't good. And fans need to steel themselves and say goodbye.

Because that dream isn't going to make it.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.