Kevin Carver
Thursday, January 8, 2015 8:15 am

Just eight teams are left in the NFL in search of a Super Bowl ring. Carolina has gotten hot at the right time and are still among those in the mix.

While the Panthers made some mistake at times and had to come from behind, they managed to beat Arizona 27-16 last week. Arizona was held to just 78 yards of offense and Carolina will need to duplicate that performance as they visit Super Bowl favorites, Seattle.

Carolina at Seattle

The Panthers have definitely been playing better overall and they have given Seahawks trouble over the years. Seattle does lead the all-time series 6-2, but the last three games have been decided by 4, 5, 4 points

Yes, I have been picking against Carolina for awhile now. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Seattle 23-17.

Dallas at Green Bay

Dallas is a difficult team to gauge. However, Green Bay is at home and the Packers haven’t lost at home since December 22 of 2013. Dallas does play better on the road, but I have a feeling that as cold as probably will be, the Cowboys have little shot to make any headway throwing the football. Which means they will have ground the ball and keep the ball away from Green Bay. Green Bay…31-17

Baltimore at New England 

This maybe the toughest match up to figure out only because Baltimore embraces the defensive physicality that many teams don’t in the NFL. Baltimore was also the last team to beat New England in the playoffs in Foxboro. However, these are not quite the same two teams that met in the 2012 postseason. New England is more of a complete team at this stage then Baltimore. Give me New England 34-14

Indy at Denver

This is the game I feel more confident about than any of the others. The Colts defense will not be able to hang around. Denver’s offense and better defensive play should hold up. Still, Indy can score, but not as much as Denver is about too…Denver 41-28.

R-S Central boys (7-5, 3-2) played four games since the update. They went 2-2, getting a huge win against West Caldwell and then knocking off Lincoln Charter up at Freedom for third place in the boys Tournament in Morganton. They shockingly lost to Avery at Freedom, but barely fell to Kings Mountain in conference play by three late last week. The big rivalry game comes up this Friday as they visit East Rutherford (1.9.15).

R-S Central girls (8-4, 4-1) have been playing the best among the county lately. They knocked off Porter Ridge, East Burke and finished second at the Freedom Christmas Tourney. The Lady Hilltoppers then beat Kings Mountain and remain in sole possession of second place in the SMAC for right now. 

East Rutherford boys (4-6, 3-2) went 1-2 over the last update and still struggling offensively. Still, the Cavs remain optimistic for a better second half of the season.

East Rutherford girls (5-6, 1-4) have went 2-2 over their last four games. They beat Spartanburg Day and Chapman to finish third in the Landrum Holiday Tourney.

Chase boys (2-9, 0-5) took one of three in the Cherryville Christmas Tournament, losing the other two games by less than ten combined points. The girls are still winless in hoops play. Chase will host East Rutherford on Tuesday (1.13.15).

Thomas Jefferson will be back in action on Friday (1.9.15). They host Pine Lake Prep at Cool Springs Gym.

And lastly, who would have thought Ohio St. would be playing for the national title among the college football teams. They were written off when they lost to Virginia Tech early in the season, but Urban Meyer has certainly got it together. I believe Oregon will be too much though…35-21 Ducks.