Long Island EFL SPOTLIGHT: Week #7: Carolina Panthers (4-2) vs. Houston Texans (3-3)

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WEEK #7:   P A N T H E R S ... ROAR INTO NFC PLAYOFFS WITH 17-10 WIN OVER TEXANS!

Panthers (4-2) - Texans (3-3) We are doing our best to write these Week#7 games up as fast as we can.

Matt Zoo-York's Carolina Panthers (4-2) dominated third-year coach Levi Vick's Houston Texans (3-3) in a hard fought game, with some nifty running by Panthers running back DeShaun Foster. Foster broke loose for 51-yards rushing on six carries, and he had two touchdowns behind a Carolina beefed up front line led by LIEFL All-Pro Kawaan Short, leaving a very good Texans defense speechless in the Panthers upset over the Houston Texans, 17-10!

There is no other way to categorize the Carolina Panthers other than by the steady team they are, and there's no better way to head into the LIEFL playoffs than by dominating teams. The Panthers are no rookie to prepping for the playoffs. This will be Carolina's sixth NFC playoffs! Here they are again, heading back to the NFC playoffs for another shot at a Super Bowl, after the huge loss and upset in last year playoffs to the Minnesota Vikings.

"This team is different though, said Matt Zoo-York. I cannot let this team down this season. We have the tools, I just have to not choke under pressure. If we can get it going early on offense and rise up on defense, we have a fighting chance to play the role of UPSET underdog against some really tough NFC teams, but ultimately winning comes down to execution."

The Panthers have 15 touchdowns this season with the tandem of running back DeShaun Foster getting into the endzone 11 times and Greg Jones crushing three 100-yard touchdowns runs. Jones is close to breaking 1,000 yards for the season, increasing his value as one of the most desired players to have in the league. Carolina is peeking at the right time. On the other end of the spectrum for Houston, LIEFL All-Pro Ron Dayne could not be stopped on special teams for the Texans in this game.

Ron Dayne finished the game with nine touches for 221 all-purpose yards, including an electrifying 100-yard touchdown return, but it wasn't enough for Houston. The Panthers kept Dayne and tight end Ryan Griffen at Bay on offense. Dayne had just six rushes, but he was stopped dead in his tracks each time by a mauling Carolina defense.

To finish the day, Carolina's Greg Jones showed how important he is to the Panthers offense. Jones had two kick returns for 148-yards, setting up DeShaun Foster for some amazing play time in the backfield. Every team in the league is interested in the services of Jones, but Zoo is reluctant to trade unless he gets all the top draft picks in February's LIEFL-Draft. Coach Levi Vick wants Jones bad!  Vick said, "This guy is an electrifying player, and he brings instant success to any offense in the league. I want him for my Patriots, but we will see if Zoo is willing to give up this type of a player. I wouldn't mind purchasing the entire league when Billy O'C retires. I know three people who want in. The teams are that exciting. It is the way a league should be run in my opinion because we keep coming back for more, and we never get tired of the seven-game season. When the season ends this year I was invited to play in my old league."

The Panthers (5-2) roll into the playoffs determined to focus! This is their third consecutive year that they have risen to the occasion, and their teamwork is hard to match. In this game, it seemed everywhere we turned, the white Panthers jerseys were everywhere. It doesn't look like the Texans are going to make it into the playoffs this year with this loss, but they are just a few players shy of being a playoff team!