Panthers Adam Thielen knows how important Week 4 will be: 'Feels like a playoff game'
Somehow, the Carolina Panthers have a playoff-like game four weeks into the season. Well, if the NFL Playoffs were played between teams that can't seem to buy a win if their lives depended on it. The Panthers and Minnesota Vikings have the same record — 0-3. With each team desperate for a win, Panthers veteran […]
Somehow, the Carolina Panthers have a playoff-like game four weeks into the season.
Well, if the NFL Playoffs were played between teams that can't seem to buy a win if their lives depended on it.
The Panthers and Minnesota Vikings have the same record — 0-3. With each team desperate for a win, Panthers veteran and former Vikings receiver Adam Thielen likens Week 4 to a game with playoff-like intensity.
“Both teams are gonna have some urgency,” Thielen said after the Panthers 37-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. “I think another thing is both teams are much, much better football teams than 0-3. They have a talented roster, obviously, I’ve been a part of it for a long time. And got a lot of respect for those guys over there. I know that they’re havin’ some urgency right now. There’s some serious competitors on that team, as there is on this team.
“So, I think very similar situations. There’s got to be some urgency. And next week kind of feels like a playoff game, to be honest. Just because both teams are fightin’ and scratchin’ and crawlin’ to find a way to get that first one on the board and change the momentum.”
If Thielen plays like he did against the Seahawks, the Panthers may have a fighting chance.
In Seattle, Thielen collected 11 catches, racked up 145 yards, and reached the endzone one time. It was undoubtedly the best game he's had in the short season thus far. And it is also in his best interest to play with the same level of urgency against his former team.
Already, for the Panthers to be a competitive team after starting 0-3 is a tall task. It feels safe to assume that any prospect of reaching the real playoffs is all but gone. What the Panthers can do is gain some semblance of pride by beating another 0-3 team in Week 4 at home.
For Thielen, Week 4 is about the team getting the first win and the 33-year-old receiver showing up his old team which he spent nine seasons with.
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Feature image via Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports.
