In the world of NFL football it is uncommon to consider any game played in September to be a must win. The Carolina Panthers have painted themselves into quite the corner to start the season. In week one NFL action, the Panthers laid a horrible rotten egg against the powerful Philadelphia Eagles. This game was eerily reminiscent of the Jake Delhomme massacre in the 2008 NFC playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals. To Jake Delhomme’s credit, he did rebound during week two against NFC South powerhouse Atlanta. In spite of a much better game the Panthers still came away with a loss.

Now the Panthers head into week three with a 0-2 record, and their bye week looming in week four. No team wants to head into their bye week at 0-3. Fortunately for the Panthers, their week three opponents are the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo. Romo has had his own share of misfortune in 2009, and is currently under the gun in Big D. Add to this that the game is going to be on national television and one has to feel okay about Carolina’s chances.

If the Panthers can pull out a win against Dallas, then they can head into the bye week with their heads held a little higher. Everyone knows that the Carolina Panthers are all about running the football. So far in 2009 we have only seen glimmers of the ground game that set the bar for the rest of the NFL in 2008. Running back DeAngelo Williams has yet to fully get started, and Jonathan Stewart has struggled as well. Granted, the Panthers expectations of their running backs are quite a bit higher than other NFL teams. Against Atlanta, DeAngelo Williams looked like last year’s edition for the majority of the game and Stewart showed bursts of 2008 as well.

The Dallas Cowboys opened the season with a win at Tampa Bay and a loss on Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants. In the loss against the Giants, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo threw three interceptions and single-handedly gave the game to the Giants. Time after time the Cowboys moved the ball up and down the field only to see Romo throw the ball away. These turnovers became quite costly considering the fact that the Cowboys lost by less than a touchdown. Nobody knows if the Cowboys will show up for this game or not. Monday Night Football has a way of motivating any team. The Cowboys should be no different.

Given the highly competitive nature of both the NFC South and the NFC East, this game stands as a must win for both NFL football teams. Considering this, one might expect the game of the year on Monday Night Football this week.