Vikings, Panthers focus on each other, not standings

But Newton had plenty of reasons for not wanting to re-live last season's 22-10 loss to Minnesota - eight of them, to be precise.

In the Vikings' two wins over Newton, they've sacked him a total of eight times, including eight previous year.

Minnesota returns to Bank of America Stadium this week with its defensive personnel from that game still intact except one player.

"They're definitely going to attack".

Zimmer said the Vikings looked faster on special teams last week and that's an area that he has hoped would show strides. He's going to be aggressive.

"One game doesn't define you", Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly said.

No one on the Panthers' offense was up to the task last September.

However, Oakland has won three of its last four and taken advantage of playing weak competition outside of the New England Patriots. They're good on third downs. "I'm looking forward to getting out there and hopefully this time stay out there". I plan on doing that.

Beat the Panthers and the Vikings have at the worst a four-game lead with three to play.

Hunter's sack was one of three allowed by former left tackle Michael Oher, who also was called for holding on one of those plays. Who would have thought that during the first series of the second half in the first Detroit game when Dalvin Cook went down with a season ending injury-and Sam Bradford was still on sidelines with a mysterious knee ailment? The Observer reported he is believed to have played the Vikings' game with a concussion, which right guard Trai Turner seemed to confirm this week.

"Part of it we've tried to do is monitor his snaps and try to keep him as fresh as possible down the stretch", Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. The Falcons were riding a three-game winning streak heading into that game while averaging almost 32 points during that stretch.

That begins at left tackle, where Matt Kalil has an incredibly hard assignment against his former teammate Everson Griffen, who leads the Vikings with 12 sacks on the season. Kalil spent five seasons with the Vikings before signing a $55.5 million contract to join his brother in Carolina.

Vikings right offensive tackle Mike Remmers started 42 consecutive games with Carolina before joining Minnesota for this season.

"Well, you just hit him". "He's a big guy".

Newton likes to run, sometimes out of necessity and other times by design.

"You've got to hit him like he's a running back, and don't hit him like he's a quarterback because he's not protected then", Griffen said.

The NFL's two oldest defenders will take the field Sunday in Charlotte, where 39-year-old Vikings cornerback Terence Newman and 37-year-old defensive end Julius Peppers will continue their remarkable careers. Five of the dozen hits or sacks on Newton a year ago came on blitzes. "We went to USC together, so I have known Matt for 10, 11 years", Griffen said.