Panthers vs. Vikings: Live coverage, score updates and more

For the Vikings, a 35-10 loss was a crushing blow during what had been awful week for the franchise. The fine folks at Daily Norseman have expended a lot of words trying to break down where the team can go from here. Universally, however, Vikings fans seem to agree that head coach Leslie Frazier and crew aren’t getting the job done with what appears to be a talented roster.

The Panthers are now 2-3, and there’s hope over at Panthers blog Cat Scratch Reader that the team can pull off an impressive turnaround and make a playoff run. If Cam Newton continues to play as well as he did against the Vikings, they could certainly have a chance. That said, James Dator believes fans should temper their expectations, at least a little bit.

Harrison Smith was the biggest injury of the day as the Vikings’ safety left the game in the third quarter with a foot injury. Smith went to the sideline under his own power, where trainers looked at him on the cart. After a few minutes he was taken from the field and did not return on Sunday. Smith suffered turf toe, according to Chip Scoggins, but there is no further update on his status at this time. Turf toe typically sees players return quickly, but it can knock guys out for a few weeks.

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Cam Newton recovered from a rough outing in Arizona where he threw four interceptions, recording 272 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. Newton was almost perfect, fueled by an effective Panthers run game that gained 131 total yards.

Minnesota’s biggest issues came on defense, a unit that wasn’t just porous, but undisciplined. Numerous Carolina drives were extended by costly penalties. The stop-and-start Panthers offense found its gear, converting these drives and making the Vikings pay.

Cam Newton nearly decked Fox sideline reporter Laura Okmin, but he was there to catch her, too:

The classic Smiling At Someone In The Crowd Glory Trot is harder to execute than it looks, friends. Be careful out there. Oh, and you be careful out there, too, sideline reporters. It’s been a hazardous week for y’all.

Ian Rapoport reports that Ponder sat down twice this week with GM Rick Spielman and was told that he needed to fight for his job if he hoped to remain the team’s starting quarterback.

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It was unclear whether the reigning MVP would play on Sunday, despite practicing for much of the week. CBS reports that Peterson didn’t have a relationship with his son, but that has no bearing on the tragedy.

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Peterson will stick with his decision to play in the game despite the death of his two-year-old son on Friday in Sioux Falls, S.D., due to injuries sustained from an alleged aggravated assault at the hands of the mother’s boyfriend. The veteran running back told reporters on Friday he was going to play against Carolina, a statement made before it was known his son had passed away.

Joseph Patterson, 27, has been charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery and has been ordered held on $750,000 cash bond.

TV: FOX

Time: 1 p.m. ET

Ted Glover at the Daily Norseman believes the signing of Freeman signals the official end of the Christian Ponder era in Minnesota:

With receiving great Steve Smith’s play declining with age, the 34-year old’s ability to change the game from the wideout position has become increasingly limited. Cat Scratch Reader proposes that he can still be a valuable contributor on offense if moved inside to the slot: