CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Carolina Panthers can become the second team in NFL history to make the post-season with a losing record in a non-strike-shortened season.Coach Ron Rivera would prefer not to talk about that though.Rivera said he wants his players to focus on Sundays game against Tampa Bay — and not the convoluted NFC South playoff picture — following Carolinas biggest win of the season, a 41-10 victory in New Orleans that catapulted the Panthers back into the playoff hunt.In other words, forget what he said two weeks ago.Coming out of the bye, Rivera stepped out of character and openly discussed Carolinas chances of winning the NFC South if it could win out, hoping to motivate his players. Thats a mistake the fourth-year coach probably wont make again after the Panthers (4-8-1) got thumped by Minnesota, 31-13.Were facing Tampa — and we have to beat Tampa, Rivera said.The 2010 Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs with a 7-9 record. The scenario for the Panthers qualifying at 7-8-1 is not as farfetched as you might think.If the Panthers win their final three games — against Tampa Bay and Cleveland at home and Atlanta on the road — and the Saints lose one of their remaining games, the Panthers will repeat as NFC South champions.Carolina has renewed confidence following its first win in 63 days, a game that prompted a universal where did that come from? from an otherwise frustrated fan base.Thats not far from the feeling here in our locker room, centre Ryan Kalil said with a laugh.The dominating performance has given the Panthers new hope that maybe, just maybe, theyve started to figure things out.The Panthers scored on their first three possessions and jumped to a 24-3 halftime lead — and then seemed to take out a seasons worth of frustrations against the Saints on both sides of the ball.When you execute like that, its fun to watch and when you dont, its hard to watch, quarterback Cam Newton said after Sundays win. So as an offence, my job is to put up points any which way possible, and when the offensive line is playing as well as they did, and our running backs are running like they were, and our guys are catching the ball like they were, its hard to lose.The fourth-year quarterback had been in the worst slump of his career with nine interceptions and only six touchdown passes during the teams six-game losing streak.He broke out in a big way against the Saints, throwing for 226 yards and three TDs and snapping a string of eight straight games with an interception.Rivera attributed Newtons performance to recent stability on the offensive line, confidence from scoring touchdowns early, and offensive co-ordinator Mike Shulas decision to use the no-huddle offence early on.The no-huddle is something that worked well for the Panthers early in the season.When its on, we are pretty good at it, tight end Greg Olsen said.The defence, led by co-ordinator Sean McDermott and his staff, was brilliant, too, holding Drew Brees without a touchdown until the waning moments of the fourth quarter.Rivera said the danger now is looking ahead and not focusing on the task at hand. He thinks the Panthers might have got caught up in that earlier this year after going 12-4 last season and earning a first-round bye in the 2013 playoffs.I wouldnt be surprised because of the expectations, and the talk about it, Rivera said. We came off a good year and had some pretty good pieces in place. But the emphasis has to be dont look at who we play, dont look at the end of the race — just run the race. Cheap Sneakers Australia Online . He left in the 4th inning of Saturdays game against the Tigers after experiencing tightness. Reyes and the team still hope that he will be ready for Opening Day in Tampa Bay in one week. Buy Cheap Sneakers Australia .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. http://www.cheapsneakersaustralia.com/ . Winners of two straight, the Flames will try to become the first team in 25 years to go three consecutive games without taking a penalty Saturday night in San Jose. Sneakers Australia Sale . Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards. Cheap Sneakers Australia .Cameron sustained his third concussion in three seasons last week on a hit by Oakland safety Brandion Ross, who was fined $22,050 by the NFL for the helmet-to-helmet blow.FLIMS, Switzerland - Canadas Kelsey Rocque defeated the United States 8-4 to move into a first-place tie in the womens division at the world junior curling championships. Canada (5-2) is tied with Korea, Switzerland and Russia for top spot. Rocques rink from Edmonton led the Americans 6-4 after eight ends and scored two in the ninth to cement its third straight win. Canada finished the round-robin Sunday with games against Scotland (2-5) and Denmark (0-7). In mens action, Winnipegs Braden Calvert earned two wins, including a 6-5 decision over previously unbeaten Norway. "I guess well take the win after a game like that," said Calvert. "We got off to a bad start. I threw a really bad rock in five and we had to come back from that. "Luckily, we did and we pulled through." Canada gave up consecutive steals to tail 3-0 at the break. But Calverts rink rallied in the sixth ass she made a tricky angle-raise double to score two.dddddddddddd He followed that up with a steal of two in the seventh to go ahead. "That was huge in terms of the momentum we got from that shot," Calvert said of the sixth. "We gained a lot of confidence and basically got back at them." Canada also beat Switzerland 7-2 to improve its record to 4-3, leaving it in a three-way tie for third. "Were starting to get on a bit of a roll," said Calvert. "Were starting to gain some momentum and confidence. "We were really sharp out of the gate tonight and grabbed an early deuce. That was definitely the turning point in the game and we kept fighting and were able to pull it off. All the teams here are tough and each game is going to be a battle." Canada finishes the round-robin Sunday with games against the United States (2-5) and Austria (3-4). ' ' '