Author: Jason A. Martin Word Count: 195

Last week the Carolina Panthers were shocked at home when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came to town. While Steve Smith was out, that's no excuse for the rest of the team, which failed to who up. The Panthers mustered just 6 points and lost 20-6. Perhaps this week they will bring more than field goal kicker John Kasay to the game.

The Vikings scored an impressive 19-16 win in Washington on Monday night. Brad Johnson looked capable as he went 16 of 30 for 223 yards and a TD score. Taylor added 88 yards on the ground. Was it a case of the Vikings defense stopping the Redskins offense or the Redskins stopping themselves?

The Carolina Panthers must win this week. They can't afford to go down 0-2 with their schedule and division. Jake Delhomme was 21 of 39 for 186 yards, which wasn't too impressive. He didn't throw a TD, but did throw an interception. The Panthers had just 65 yards on the ground. The Minnesota Vikings will be looking to keep pace with the Bears this week. The race is already on for their division.

Jason A. Martin is a journalist and copywriter for various websites. You can view more of his articles by visiting his Sports Journalist website at SportsJournalist.org.

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