The 2018 Carolina Panthers’ season was symbolically summariz

The team came out firing Michael Palardy Jersey , with halfback passes for touchdowns, aggressive play calling, and a defensive effort akin to the best of times we had grown accustomed to and had missed for the last 13 games.Make no mistake, this Panthers team came to play, and they gave a likely Super Bowl contender one of the hardest games they’ve played and will play this season. The defense came to shut down Drew Brees and Sean Payton, and, stats be damned, they did. They kept an inept offense in the game after a crazy trick play got them their first and only points, you really cannot ask much else against a team as talented and diverse offensively like these New Orleans Saints. This game wasn’t just Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis Cheap Shaq Thompson Jersey , this defense as a unit showed up and gave that offense hell. Even in the waning moments, when all seemed lost, Ron Rivera trusted his defense to make a stop and they did just that with a miraculous forced fumble by James Bradberry that flew into the endzone and created a touchback. If the offense capitalized and won, this would have been one of the greatest late season efforts in Carolina Panthers history. Sadly, as much as the season has showed us, this team cannot capitalize on opportunities.I firmly believe this team can be great, but I stress the word CAN. The offense has pieces that can break a game, however collectively they’ve only seemed to break themselves as of late. Cam Newton cannot shoulder the burden of this offensive passing game alone, and Christian McCaffery cannot be his only outlet. These pieces need time to gel http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-torrey-smith-jersey , and that’s okay. The 2018 season seemed to be a prime opportunity to break the classic even-year mold and allow this team to be an every year contender, however, after watching 14 games I can plainly see that they need more time. This offense has flashed tremendous game breaking ability, but they lack the consistency that you see from the better NFL offenses, and the same can be said about the defense. In every game except this one.I was shocked by what this defense brought to the table against their greatest foe to begin the season. This Saints coaching staff wrote the book on how to beat this defense in 2017, yet with a lesser on-field product a year later this defense damn near won the game by itself. They got after Drew Brees, they did well against the run, and the defensive backs made plays on the ball I wasn’t expecting, based on 13 other games as a body of work. This defense surprised me http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-jarius-wright-jersey , this defense surprised them.The Panthers are a team built on the players, momentum, personality, and heart. I, as a fan, was saddened to see them lose, because I saw something from this defense I wasn’t sure I would see again. They played with heart, they spit in the face of one of the best offenses in the game today, and they made them work like hell for that victory. That may be disappointing now Cheap Ian Thomas Jersey , but it gives me hope for the future. Because this team found the fire that made them successful in the past. This team played with heart. This team can still hang with the big guys.And come 2019? The NFL better be ready for the storm on the horizon. The Panthers were back on the field today in preparation for their game on Monday night against the Saints, and one key player returned to practice while another was held out for the second straight day.Left tackle Chris Clark was back in action today after missing yesterday’s practice with a knee injury. That’s good news for his chances to play on Monday night. He hasn’t been the best left tackle in the league since being signed by the Panthers, but he has at least been a warm body with experience. It doesn’t count for much, but it’s better than nothing.The bigger concern today is that defensive tackle Kawann Short missed his second straight day of practice with a calf injury. There’s one small sliver of hope that the Panthers are just being cautious with him due to the weather (it’s windy, rainy and cold in Charlotte). Hopefully that’s all it is, because if the Panthers go into Monday’s game without the best pass rushing defensive tackle available against Drew Brees... let’s just say it won’t be pretty.Rashaan Gaulden was back today after missing yesterday’s practice with an illness. That’s good news for his availability on Monday night because the Panthers will need him for depth. If he’s unable to go, the Panthers could activate Da’Norris Searcy from injured reserve if they’re comfortable with his recovery from the concussion he suffered. They have to make that decision soon, though, because his three-week window expires at the end of this week.Cam Newton was limited to non-throwing duty during the open media portion of practice Mike Adams Jersey , but that could simply be the team being cautious with the bad weather today. Unless something changes, he’s fully expected to suit up on Monday.Graham Gano was also held out of practice today, but hopes to be ready for Monday night.Here’s today’s full injury report:Panthers injury report Did not participate in practiceK Graham Gano (knee)DT Kawann Short (calf)Limited participation in practiceQB Cam Newton (shoulder)Full participation in practiceS Mike Adams (rest/wrist)OT Chris Clark (knee)LB Thomas Davis (rest)S Rashaan Gaulden (illness)DE Julius Peppers (rest)Practice StatusDid not participate in practice = 0% of a player’s normal repetitionsLimited participation in practice = Less than 100% of a player’s normal repetitionsFull participation in practice = 100% of a player’s normal repetitionsGame StatusOut = Player will not playDoubtful = Player unlikely to playQuestionable = Uncertain if player will play