Twas the Night Before Christmas, Panther Style - Merry Christmas Panther Nation - Carolina Panthers

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land,
The playoffs were coming, for each Panther fan.
However unlikely they said this would be,
The Panthers delivered, for you and for me.

The journey was long, and not without struggle,
There were plenty of doubters, over at Carolina Huddle.
But the team was determined, and promised to fight,
So that fans could rejoice, on this Christmas Eve night.

But just how we got to this wonderful place,
Is a story that puts a huge smile on my face.
The NFC South, we were expected to lose,
Good thing we don't care, about those point of views.

It's the year of the Saints, said the man on TV
They've got too much talent, who else could it be?
Coach Payton was back, that's what they were lackin',
But the experts forgot, Coach Ron has The Kraken.

The showdown was set, for a little past noon,
What they didn't expect? The Carolina monsoon.
The torrential downpour was a nice surprise,
And certainly helped with the Saintly demise.

The Saints kicked the ball, and the Panthers received,
The offense came out, and we all believed.
DWill off tackle, that was the call.
The crowd was electric, 'Get Smitty the ball!'

But the offense soon stalled, this wasn't the plan.
Not that it mattered, cause Kuechly's the man!
He dashed and he darted, it was quite a sight
And showed that this team, could put up a fight.

The Saints tried to run, and they didn't get far.
Thanks partly because of a big man named Star.
So Brees dropped back to pass, but had little success,
Cause the first half, you see, was a Panther sack-fest.

The Saints managed to put three points on the board
It didn't change much, fans continued to roar.
Saint coaches decided to win would take tricks
Then decided to try a surprise on-side kick.

They recovered the ball, and put up three more points.
The Panther response? Let's make some more noise!

The defense was solid, and TD is a beast,
He wasn't afraid of Drew Brees, in the least.
Brees dropped back to pass, he had Graham in his sights
But just about then, Thomas Davis took flight.

TD hauled it in, an incredible pick!
Then Deangelo rushed, for a really quick six!
Halftime had come, with the Panthers ahead
Twas the first time all day, that the Panthers had led.

It was just about now, that the rain came to town,
And man let me tell you, it really came down!
But Brees is fantastic, and a tough one to spook
But in this downpour, he threw it to Luke!

The rain made it tough, to move or to score
But despite all this mess, we were still up by four.
The Panthers had given, as good as they'd got
For rivals like this, predictions mean squat.

But the Saints they weren't done, they had more in the tank
That's when Brees tossed the ball, to Graham on the flank.
The Saints took the lead, at thirteen to ten
I hadn't been worried, up until then.

It was late in the game, and the offense had stalled
But just about then, Cam got the call.
He dropped back to pass, and hit Teddy in stride
And that quick young man, took the Saints for a ride.

Hurry up Cats, only seconds are left!
Don't worry my friends, cause Greg Olsen is deft!
He pulled in the pass, and fell to the ground
Cam rushed to the line, to spike the ball down.

And that's when it happened, the crowd started to rock
The next play, you see, put the Saints fans in shock.
Dom on the left, ran a simple out-route
And cradled the ball as he fell to the ground.

The crowd exploded, in spite of the rain
Cause we revel, you see, in Saintly disdain.
The review was upheld, as we knew it would be
That play right there, put the Cats up by three.

Extra point on the board, and time winding down
It was joyous to see, Sean Payton's frown.
The Panthers had won, on this wet winter day
And don't really care, what the 'experts' might say.

Now we're back in the playoffs, and man is it grand
There's room on our bandwagon, for everyone to stand.
We're gonna play tough, and we will make some noise
That's just how it is, for these Carolina boys!