Mitglieder-Ackte » That was three careers ago for most running backs

NEW ORLEANS (AP)The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers each are getting starting offensive linemen back for their early round playoff matchup. Saints left tackle Terron Armstead and Carolina guard Trai Turner each had been listed as questionable for Sunday’s NFC wild-card game after both were unable to play in their teams’ regular-season finales a week earlier. Armstead was limited in practice this past week as he worked his way back from a thigh injury that sidelined him last week at Tampa Bay. Turner is returning from a concussion that forced him out of three games. Panthers offensive tackle Matt Kalil also is available to play after being listed as questionable with an illness Friday. Panthers leading receiver Devin Funchess https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/Captain-Munnerlyn-Jersey , too, is active as expected after being listed as questionable with a sore shoulder. Also returning for New Orleans is rookie defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who has missed three games with an ankle injury. Nearly all of the players deactivated were healthy scratches. Among the Panthers’ inactives are: center Greg Van Roten, defensive end Zach Moor, offensive tackles Blaine Clausell and Amini Silatolu https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/David-Mayo-Jersey , cornerback Kevon Seymour, defensive end Charles Johnson and third-string quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Inactive for the Saints are: defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, DE Kasim Edebali, offensive lineman John Fullington, center Cameron Tom https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/Devin-Funchess-Jersey , receiver Austin Carr, running back Jonathan Williams and tight end John Phillips. — Carolina’s next road trip is a Week 6 contest against the Washington football team. They are not the scariest match-up on paper, but Cincinnati taught us last week that not every tiger is what it seems. Washington is going to be a tougher game than you might expect.You’re going to hear a lot in these columns about trap games. 2018 is full of them. The idea is the team could get caught looking past one opponent because a tougher one is on the horizon. Week 7, for example, is another trip north. The Panthers will face the reigning Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles — a team which handed the Panthers a bitterly close loss last year. I don’t think that will be the case with this game.Alex Smith is the former 1st overall pick turned average journeyman game manager that everyone who isn’t honest with themselves thinks Cam Newton should be. He can run a little and he can throw short and intermediate balls pretty well https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/Mario-Addison-Jersey , but he’s not known for leading heroic fourth quarter comebacks or striking fear into the hearts of defenses with his deep ball accuracy. He shouldn’t be a game breaking concern.Adrian Peterson is no longer the guy that wins games all by himself. He has lost a step in his old age. Even if he hadn’t, the Panthers have traditionally done very well defending against him. His best game against them required 20 carries to total 84 yards and a single touchdown in 2011. That was three careers ago for most running backs.If it seems weird to you that I am pointing out all of the reasons why Washington shouldn’t be frightening in a column that is supposed to point out all of the reasons why Washington is frightening then you may have forgotten who their opponent is in Week 6. This is exactly the kind of team that Carolina would lose to. Their kryptonite is middle-of-the-road-at-best players and teams that step up and have career days. Remember Thomas Rawls and Andre Brown.Regardless of who is on the schedule or when, the Panthers have a time honored tradition of winning games they had no business being in and losing games they shouldn’t. Their loss to the Bears last season comes to mind.It even features a similar formula with an uninspiring offense and a highly competent defense. This isn’t 2015. The Panthers have yet to prove they are a cut above the rest of the league. I hope I’m wrong, but this game feels all too familiar.