The Carolina Panthers played their first exciting game of football in probably over a calendar year this past weekend. They traded scores with the Atlanta Falcons and looked like a competent team with a competent quarterback. It wasn’t enough to win the game, but it would have been if not for a couple of strong gusts of wind that blew game winning kicks to the left of the uprights.
This weekend’s opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, are better than the Falcons. They’re 4-4 and haven’t quite found the magic that carried them to the Super Bowl last season.