Just as doom and gloom threatened to return, the Carolina Panthers showcased how things are different now. One week after a demoralizing loss to the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dave Canales' squad secured a season sweep over the Atlanta Falcons with a dramatic overtime victory.
Now, thanks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffering defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, the Panthers are just half a game back from first place in the NFC. Canales is eager to take things one challenge at a time, but after years of languishing among the NFL's bottom feeders, it's not hard to see how fans are getting carried away.