Why would the NFL care to keep Carolina "in it"?
They didn't care last week vs Tampa, they didn't care the week before against ATL.
They didn't care when the playoff Cards of last year have been losing.
They haven't cared for years to keep NFL darling Dallas in the playoffs.
And why Carolina, one of the smallest markets in the league.
Maybe, just maybe, there isn't this great agenda....and they just ref games as they see them.
