Matthew Stafford snatched the Panthers hearts
What a start to the playoffs. Saturday’s games put the wild in Wild Card Weekend. There was back-and-forth action and a resurrection from a coffin for one of the teams that was on the brink of wasting a great season.
While the Carolina Panthers season came to an end thanks to heart-snatching Matthew Stafford and the No. 1 offense in the NFL, I personally avoided what could have been a complete disaster of a day.
The 8-9 Panthers, who had already beaten the Los Angeles Rams in Charlotte this season, weren’t given a chance prior to kickoff. Early on, it looked like the haters were right. Puka was unstoppable, and they were on their way to being steamrolled by the Rams.
But that’s not how it played out. They didn’t give up. They fought back and, although they put together one of the most pathetic attempts to win a game with less than a minute left that you will ever see, they showed up in a loss.
I love the way the Panthers bounced back after what happened last weekend in Tampa. Fans were pathetically crying about blown calls after the game, and they made the most of the opportunity that came with backing their way into the playoffs.
This is why division winners hosting playoff games should never change. They didn’t have the best regular season record heading in, but everyone starts 0-0 in the postseason.
I’m not happy that they lost, but I’d be in much worse shape if they had any expectations at all.
It took all the way up until this game for me to finally respect Bryce Young. I didn’t like the pick when he was drafted. He hasn’t been consistent at all in his career, but he showed up and made plays when he needed to.
He just ran into Matthew Stafford and his veneers. He wanted it and snatched the Panthers hearts while proving that the defense, which played well most of the season, wasn’t up to the task.
The Panthers have some work to do. They need to get Young another receiver or two, let him throw the ball down the field more and be more consistent in the running game and on defense. Can they do all that in the offseason? We’ll see.
Now to the disaster I personally avoided and the enjoyment of watching the Green Bay Packers blow a 21-3 halftime lead. If the Panthers were going to lose, the Chicago Bears had to win.
One of my best friends is a Packers fan, and he could not experience any playoff joy on Saturday and he didn’t.
I would have preferred a Bears blowout, but there’s something special about watching a team your friend roots for melt into a puddle and lose to a division rival on the road.
It’s magic, and as much as I hated every second of the first half, I loved watching the Bear pull out the cheese grater and get to work. RIP to the Green Bay Packers season. What a win for the Bears.
“Ohio State, which you really hate to see, losing to an ACC team”
– Chris writes:
Speak for yourself, mi amigo (we’re in Florida for the winter). It’s been delightful seeing the 90% drop-off in Buckeye logos between New Year’s Eve and now.
Chris
SeanJo
Hey Chris, enjoy Florida and the drop-off in those stupid Buckeyes logos. I’m a Penn State fan, so I was being sarcastic when I said you really hate to see Ohio State lose.
I loved it and was rooting for it from start to finish.
Cole & Frankie Kmet Lucas Van Ness
– Kirk writes:
To your article very well done good job young man shared with all my Packers friends
SeanJo
Thanks, Kirk. Frankie couldn’t lose either way. Thankfully, Lukas and the Packers had their season come to a heartbreaking end.
BIG MEAT And DESSERT For The Holidays!
– Montana Tim writes:
Howdy SeanJo, Montana Tim checking in to say hello to you and all the great folks out there in OutKick land! I hope your holidays weren’t too awful hectic! I took it easy after the big Thanksgiving blowout! First off before I get going, I would like to thank you for all the babe pics you’ve been throwing out for the last month or so! Well done Sir, well done! Please keep them coming! I also enjoy the True Romance posts. Great reading, thank you Sir! Now the pics!
On Christmas I smoked up a small prime rib. I de-boned it and stuffed it with garlic and fresh rosemary! And yes, it was right tasty!
Big Meat.
It came out very well!
Dessert!
“We” decided I was gonna make some Chocolate Lava Bombs! Arguably the greatest gastronomical delight in the history of mankind! In this case, I covered it in a huckleberry compote! Beyond great!
New Years Meat And Dessert!
Since the Christmas prime came out so well, we decided to smoke one for New Year’s. Due to time constraints, I didn’t stuff it with garlic and rosemary. It was still good just not AS good!
New Year’s Dessert!
I decided to make a Montana style cheesecake and some made from scratch brownies for New Year’s dessert. You folks might see a reoccurring theme to my goodies. The huckleberry compote. Nothing better to top an after dinner dessert. I’ve tried them all and nothing compares. Most especially when paired with chocolate!
Wish everyone a joyous 2026!
Though I do have one more big meat picture to share with all the folks!
More Big Meat!
That’s a hell of a meal right there!
One last thing….I’m getting out of the Big Cold and headed to Belize to thaw out for a while! I’ll send you good folks some pics!
SeanJo
Thanks for sharing, Montana Tim. It’s always a fun ride. I look forward to more meat, desserts, and whatever else you’ve got going on while in Belize.
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That’s it. We’ve got more Wild Card Weekend action today and Monday night and the match-ups that should be a lot of fun to watch.
RIP to the Carolina Panthers season. I’m officially a Bryce Young guy now and that throw on the go-ahead touchdown to Jalen Coker late in the 4th quarter did it for me.
It should have been a game winner, but it wasn’t meant to be. Onto to Cancun or Cabo or wherever the Panthers are vacationing. Hopefully your team is still in it.
I have officially begun what will be a multi-day project of dismantling my wife’s Christmas decorations. Wish me luck.
Let’s do this again next Sunday. Fingers crossed we’re coming off of another fun Saturday of playoff football. Keep sending your emails and your meat my way.
The inbox is open for anything and everything at sean.joseph@outkick.com. Go follow me on Twitter and over on Instagram.
Numbers from:Stuff You Guys Sent In & Stuff I Like:
