CHARLOTTE -- The imposing final quarter of the Carolina Panthers' schedule has arrived, which will further test a team that's had an extremely disappointing, injury-filled season so far.
The defense, in particular, needs to make the most of the momentum gained from intercepting Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Josh Freeman five times because the offenses they will face from now on are among the best in the NFL. All are led by elite quarterbacks.
Based on statistics before Monday night's Green Bay Packers-Baltimore Ravens game, the Panthers' remaining opponents feature four of the NFL's top eight offenses.
Sunday's opponents, the New England Patriots, have the No. 2 offense, led by quarterback Tom Brady.
Then come the fifth-ranked Minnesota Vikings and QB Brett Favre, the No. 8 New York Giants and Eli Manning, and the top-ranked New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees.
The defenses of those teams aren't shabby either. Only the Saints (18th) weren't among the league's top 11 before the Monday night game.
The fearsome foursome awaiting the Panthers has a combined winning percentage of .750 (36-12). Carolina is 5-7 and in danger of having the first season with double-digit losses in coach John Fox's eight seasons.
"We know it's kind of stacked against us a little bit," tight end Jeff King said Monday. "Hopefully, we can just keep grinding and pick up some wins."
Even though it would take a near-miraculous sweep of the remaining games for the Panthers to make the playoffs, players say they haven't lost hope of making a run.
"I don't think our fate is sealed yet," King said.
"Statistically, mathematically, we're still in the equation," safety Chris Harris said.
Here's a look at the finishing schedule:
Sunday at New England Patriots: The Patriots (7-5) have lost three of their past four games, but two of the defeats were to the unbeaten Colts and Saints.
Brady has been uncharacteristically shaky of late, with two touchdowns and four interceptions in the past two games, both losses.
New England is 6-0 at home, however, and will be primed for a turnaround performance in Gillette Stadium.
Dec. 20 vs. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings (10-2) struggled in their loss Sunday at Arizona but have been one of the league's best and most potent teams. Carolina's defense will be challenged to stop Favre and running back Adrian Peterson.
Dec. 27 at New York Giants: These aren't the Giants of the previous two seasons, but they're starting to snap out of a funk, beating the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in a key NFC East game to reach 7-5 after a 5-0 start.
Manning has an impressive array of young receiving targets, including the "other" Steve Smith, former North Carolina star Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham.
Jan. 3 vs. New Orleans Saints: This could be a historic day if the Saints (12-0) keep winning, potentially making Carolina the last obstacle to a perfect regular-season record. If that happens, national media will converge on Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte.
However, the matchup could lose its sizzle if either the Saints lose one of their next three games or if they have clinched homefield advantage in the playoffs before this game.
If either or both of those things happen, it will be interesting to see whether coach Sean Payton chooses to rest some key players.
