North Charlotte Today

PHILADELPHIA—In 2022, Adam Thielen was part of a team that made history by achieving the most wins in a single season—11—by one possession in NFL history. The Minnesota Vikings leveraged this success to secure the top spot in the NFC North and finish with a 13-4 record.

Reflecting on his career, Thielen shared experiences from contrasting seasons. "Yeah, unfortunately, I've been on both sides of it several times," he remarked with a laugh. In 2021, the Vikings had an overall record of 8-9, with eight of those losses being by one possession and seven wins also by narrow margins.

Thielen commented on the unpredictable nature of football: "So, with that being said, like that's the NFL, stuff happens." Statistics support his view; seven out of twelve games through Sunday night in Week 14 concluded as one-possession games.

The Carolina Panthers experienced another close loss on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles with a score of 22-16. Five out of their first seven losses were blowouts or multiple possession games. However, their last five games have all been decided by one possession. During these games, they have achieved two wins and three losses.

Coach Dave Canales emphasized their approach after the loss: "Our expectation is it's going to come down to the finish... we're not going to back off of that expectation." He has consistently focused on finishing strong during both victories and defeats as part of building their program.

"We need to find a way to win these games," Canales continued. He stressed focusing on aspects they can control such as making tackles and taking care of the ball. The goal is for players to maintain urgency and execute under pressure.

Thielen remains optimistic about overcoming challenges: "It always turns around right when you... handle adversity the right way." By reviewing situations and maintaining focus on execution, he believes success will follow.

As close contests define NFL dynamics where teams compete intensely till final moments—the Panthers are determined to be among those prevailing through perseverance.

"The expectation is we're going to be in these games ahead or real close... we need to find a way to finish," reiterated Canales highlighting their commitment towards improvement despite setbacks faced thus far.