I get the feeling this will be the week Carolina finally gets knocked off. There are some elements that stand out in the matchup. Most notably, Carolina just lost two of its top three cornerbacks. And while New York’s defense has given up a lot of yards, it’s shown considerable ability to avoid giving up touchdowns (well, other than that 7-TD game against Drew Brees).
The matchup is discussed in more detail in the Weekly.
But mostly it’s the reality that it’s really hard to go 16-0. Every game becomes almost like a playoff game for the opposition. That’s definitely the case this week. Carolina doesn’t have much to play for, while the Giants are scratching and clawing, trying to emerge out of the NFC East.
In the last 20 years, six other teams have opened the season 13-0. Those teams went only 2-4 in their 14th game. None of those six teams were playing a particularly notable opponent, and even the two winners didn’t win impressively. (The Patriots won 20-10, but it was at home against a 3-10 opponent).
Gut tells me this is the week the Panthers finally get dropped.
| TEAMS OPENING THE SEASON 13-0 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Opponent | Score |
| 1998 | Denver | at NY Giants (5-8) | L, 16-20 |
| 2009 | New Orleans | Dallas (8-5) | L, 17-24 |
| 2009 | Indianapolis | at Jacksonville (7-6) | W, 35-31 |
| 2011 | Green Bay | at Kansas City (5-8) | L, 14-19 |
| 2007 | New England | NY Jets (3-10) | W, 20-10 |
| 2005 | Indianapolis | San Diego (8-5) | L, 17-26 |
—Ian Allan