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(SportsNetwork.com) - Life isnt always fair. At 3-7-1 on the season the Carolina Panthers are just one-half game out of first place in the dreadful NFC South. Conversely the Minnesota Vikings are a tick better at 4-7 and all but dead and buried in the tough NFC North. The Panthers will arrive in the Twin Cities well rested and coming off an always advantageous late bye week, something made even more sweet when the rest of the NFC South -- New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa Bay -- lost in Week 12 while Cam Newton and Co. were watching. Currently the Saints and Falcons are tied atop the division at 4-7 with the Bucs bringing up the rear behind the Panthers at 2-9. Carolina is a step behind Atlanta because of a 19-17 Week 11 home loss to the Falcons in which Matt Bryant connected on four field goals, including a 44- yarder late in the fourth quarter to lift Atlanta. Newton struggled for much of the game, but did have two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and finished the game 23-for-37 for 292 yards with two interceptions for the Panthers, who have lost five straight overall after tying a game against Cincinnati in Week 6. Weve just got to play better, as a team, as a group and take that challenge personally, said Newton. I know Im better than how Im playing. We just have to get things going. Newtons second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter had given the Panthers a 17-16 lead with 6:20 to play. The Falcons Matt Ryan, though, was able to get his team into scoring position, thanks in part to three receptions by Harry Douglas for 29 yards. Bryant booted the 44-yarder in with 2:08 to play for a 19-17 lead. The Panthers were able to get into field goal range on their ensuing touch, thanks in part to catches of 15 yards and 17 yards from Greg Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin, respectively. Graham Gano, though, missed a 46-yarder just to the left with 1:22 to play. This was a tough one to swallow, said Carolina head coach Ron Rivera. I talked to the players about this and told them were still in the middle of it, believe it or not, but weve got to start taking care of our own end first. In Minnesota, things havent gone as expected this season under first-year coach Mike Zimmer. The Vikings were planning to lean on MVP candidate Adrian Peterson running behind veteran Matt Cassel at quarterback with second-year stud Cordarrelle Patterson serving as an over the top threat outside the numbers. Instead Petersons personal issues have taken him out of the equation, Cassel broke his foot early in the season and Patterson has not developed, leaving Zimmer relying on a trio of rookies, QB Teddy Bridgewater, running back Jerick McKinnon and receiver Charles Johnson. Despite that Minnesota has remained very competitive and gave Green Bay, perhaps the NFCs best team, all it could handle in Week 12 before eventually succumbing 24-21. Bridgewater went 21-for-37 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the Packers. McKinnon ran it 15 times for 54 yards and Johnson had three catches for 52 yards and a score, along with a two-point conversion. Im proud of the way the guys fought today, said Bridgewater. We fell short and didnt make enough plays to win this game, but the effort was there. We just have to continue to get better each week and be a consistent football team. The Vikings lead their all-time series with Carolina 6-5 but the Panthers have won two of the past three, including a 35-10 blowout last season when Newton threw for 242 yards and accounted for four TDs (three passing, one rushing). WHAT TO WATCH FOR Besides the obvious issue of not having Peterson, many of the Vikings offensive issues stem from the poor play of the offensive line, particularly the left side where left tackle Matt Kalil is having a disastrous year and left guard Charlie Johnson has only been a bit better. Kalil, the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft who was a Pro Bowl player as a rookie, refused to comment after he was called for three penalties in the Vikings loss to the Packers. Honestly, it was hard for me to see, Zimmer said. The times when I watched him, (Kalil) seemed to be doing okay, but my eyes are looking at their coverage and the blitzes that theyre doing and Teddy (Bridgewater). After the contest, however, Kalil was videotaped knocking a hat off a fan who had criticized his play. I usually shrug off that stuff, Kalil said. Fans like to talk and say some things, but thats just something that I could have been a bigger man and walked away from. But it really wasnt that big of a deal. (The fan) just caught me when I had a short fuse that day. Meanwhile the strength of the group, the right side, is now entirely gone after right tackle Phil Loadholt tore his pec against Green Bay last weekend. The big Oklahoma product joins right guard Brandon Fusco, who also tore a pec earlier this season, on the sidelines. The incident (Sunday) with the media thing and the fan, obviously a lot of frustration, losing a game like that, losing Phil in the game to injury and stuff like that, Kalil said. So obviously I was a little upset, but I hope you guys didnt take anything personally. It was just one of those days, so I apologize for that. All of that means Minnesota offensive coordinator Norv Turner will be scaling back things even further with significant playing time for all three tight ends -- Kyle Rudolph, Rhett Ellison and Chase Ford -- with the intent on getting extra help for both Kalil and Mike Harris, a waiver pickup before the season who will replace Loadholt. The Carolina defense isnt what it was in 2013 when the team finished 12-4 and won the NFC South, allowing 374.0 yards per game, good for 25th in football. The group, however, is well set up to handle a Vikings attack which rarely stretches the field and, when it does, isnt all that effective because Bridgewater lacks accuracy down the football field. Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, who leads the NFL with 436 tackles since entering the league in 2012, should be able to handle Minnesotas run game and when the Vikings offense gets one-dimensional, things can get ugly. Minnesota comes in ranked 30th overall on offense with only the NFLs two one- win teams, Jacksonville and Oakland worse. On the offensive side, the Panthers will certainly be helped by the extra rest because Newton clearly wasnt right physically before the bye. Carolina has had its own issues with the offensive line, however, with yet another change looming for Sunday with Amini Silatolu, a natural guard, in line to replace the injured Nate Chandler at right tackle. It will be the sixth different group the Panthers have used up front in six games. Our team is kind of banged up right now, especially losing a right tackle now, Silatolu told the Charlotte Observer. Its just up to us for the next person to step up. The Vikings are much improved defensively from the group that was torched by Cam in 2013 (12th overall) but the unit still struggles at times with situational football and bigger receivers, something that could signal a big day for 6-foot-5 rookie wideout Benjamin, who has 52 catches for 768 yards and leads all freshman with eight TD catches. Its not about accepting anything. Its just realizing you have to be better, Newton said. You cant get down on yourself because youre not getting the results. If anything you just got to keep going back to the lab and working on your craft and your product, and make that art shinier. OVERALL ANALYSIS The Panthers were likely sitting at home last week amazed that they are still in the NFC South race and the fact that this game actually means something for them, along with the Vikings dismal offensive line, should be the difference here. We control our own destiny, but this destiny is no easy catch, Newton said. We have to be men about this. We have to be professionals about this and weve got to set the standard for ourselves to play at. And anything less than that is unacceptable. Sports Network predicted outcome: Panthers 21, Vikings 17 Fake Athletics Jerseys . Spains victory rendered Frances 3-0 win against Finland meaningless as Spain needed just one point to secure passage to Brazil. Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema scored either side of Joona Toivios own-goal as France advanced to the playoff among the eight best second-place finishers. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys . The Maple Leafs will play on the road for the first time this season after dropping home contests to Montreal and Pittsburgh to begin the campaign. After losing a one-goal decision to the Canadiens on Wednesday, they were bested 5-2 on Saturday by the Penguins. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/. Ronaldo failed to connect on an ample number of opportunities at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. But Karim Benzema and Jese Rodriguez scored in each half for Madrid to come out of the first leg with the firm advantage. Oakland Athletics Store . -- Nelson Cruz has only two hits in 15 at-bats against the Kansas City Royals this season. Chris Bassitt Jersey . Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 -- his worst score of the season -- on TPC San Antonios AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch, the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136. FORTALEZA, Brazil -- The Confederations Cup has got the final nearly everyone wanted. The World Cup holder against the five-time world champion. The two-time European winners against the tournament host. Spains passing wizards vs. Brazils new star, Neymar. Spain came through an exhausting scoreless 120 minutes and then a penalty-kick shootout 7-6 over Italy in the semifinal Thursday and will face Brazil in Rio de Janeiros Maracana Stadium on Sunday to cap the World Cup warm-up tournament. "I think everybody was waiting for this Confederations Cup final to be Spain vs. Brazil," Spain captain Iker Casillas said. "I think the two teams that deserve to play the final are actually playing it." Jesus Navas scored the decisive penalty kick after a draining match made more difficult by heat and thick humidity. Nobody missed in the shootout until Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci shot over the bar to give Navas an attempt at the winner. The recently signed Manchester City midfielder coolly beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to end a top-class battle and send Spain to another major final. While calling his squad "lucky" to win, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque was not about to concede the final due to fatigue -- even though Spain has one less day of rest than Brazil, which beat Uruguay 2-1 Wednesday. "We have to now consider what we have to do in the three days to recover. And we will definitely stand up to Brazil in the Maracana," the manager said. "The players should feel just as happy as kids playing in the Maracana. They have won a lot, but they want to win in the Maracana. Italys Emanuele Giaccherini hit a post in the 93rd minute and Buffon deflected Xavi Hernandezs kick off a post in the 115th. Those were the best chances in extra time, and then came 12 perfect penalties before Bonucci missed. "We were lucky in the penalty shootout," Del Bosque said. "It was a very difficult match for us. ... It was a marvelous team effort by both teams. It was a clean and sporting match that was played under very difficult climatic conditions.dddddddddddd" Spain, winner of the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, went second in the shootout. The 35-year-old Buffon and 32-year-old Casillas, among the worlds elite goalkeepers for more than a decade, exchanged handshakes with English referee Howard Webb before the shootout and then hugged each other. Antonio Candreva, Alberto Aquilani, Daniele De Rossi, Sebastian Giovinco, Andrea Pirlo and Riccardo Montolivo all converted their kicks for the Italians. Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Juan Mata and Sergio Busquets made their kicks for Spain. After Bonucci failed, Buffon dived to his right and Navas sent the kick past his outstretched arm. Spain beat Italy 4-0 in last years Euro final and defeated the Azzurri 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie in the 2008 Euro quarterfinals. "We played a great match. We created and we conceded, but we were always in the match," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. "Theyre still ahead of us, but were improving. "In these conditions, between absences and fatigue, its nearly impossible to go all the way, but the guys really moved me." Italy, missing injured Mario Balotelli, dominated the first half. Spain, without injured Cesc Fabregas and Roberto Soldado, settled down and bolstered by the second-half insertion of Navas and Mata, wound up with 54 per cent possession and a 19-13 advantage in shots. Italy will face Uruguay in the third-place match in Salvador, also Sunday. Before kickoff, about 5,000 anti-government protesters battled police about 1 mile from the stadium. These were the latest in a series of nationwide protests that have hit Brazil since June 17. Demonstrators, expected to turn out again Sunday, are angered about corruption and poor public services despite a heavy tax burden. Protesters also are denouncing the billions of dollars spent to host the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio. ' ' '