🌟 It’s Teddy Bridgewater’s Time To Shine

If Teddy Bridgewater can lead his team to a win on Sunday, it’s time to start paying attention to the Panthers. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: Teddy Bridgewater and the Carolina Panthers have an opportunity to make a big splash in the NFC South ... we take a look at why Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon is the key for Ohio State’s offense ... and our friends at the Big Ten Network get us pumped up for the return of Big Ten football. Dear Teddy Bridgewater and the Carolina Panthers, here is your chance. Sorry we haven’t paid you much attention this season. Get a win this weekend, and we promise that will change. Yours sincerely, the NFL community. This weekend, the forgotten team of the NFC South has an opportunity to make themselves interesting. It is a spot plenty of teams find themselves in around this time of year and the time has now arrived for the Panthers to show whether their early season resiliency was a fluky outlier or the precursor of an unexpected surge. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are the marquee names in the division, but the Panthers have stuck around when no one expected them to do so and have a chance against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday (1 p.m. ET on FOX) to cast themselves in the role of spoiler. Honestly, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. There were many who questioned the wisdom of handing Bridgewater a three-year contract worth more than what his predecessor, the hastily-disposed Cam Newton, would have earned. [STORY IMAGE 1] Teams with first year coaches taking over a full roster overhaul, like Matt Rhule did, have traditionally struggled. If losing arguably football’s best player in Christian McCaffrey didn’t doom any prevailing aspirations then an 0-2 start appeared to be the final nail. Yet here is Carolina in the mix, sporting a 3-3 record and figuring things out along the way. A victory over the Saints, with a bye week to follow in which McCaffrey may complete his recovery from a high ankle sprain, and there would be genuine cause for optimism ahead of an upcoming schedule featuring a mix of league elites and soft touches. The Panthers are currently listed as seven-point underdogs against the Saints and are at +1300 to win the NFC South, per [FOX Bet](. The headline of this weekend’s matchup is that Bridgewater will meet his former colleagues for the first time since leaving New Orleans, where he backed up Brees admirably for the past two seasons and shined to the tune of 5-0 when filling in as a starter. “Teddy has tremendous attention to detail,” Rhule said. “He also has a nice global understanding of football, of concepts. Some guys only see turn left and turn right. He's able to see the big picture and you take that and the great work ethic that he has and it really allows him to be a special player.” [STORY IMAGE 2] Carolina has an offense that should have a familiar look to it for Saints fans, being an adapted version of what New Orleans has long put together. The Panthers offensive coordinator is former Saints offensive assistant Joe Brady, who worked there with Bridgewater in 2018 before winning the national title as the passing game coordinator at LSU. If you can forgive Bridgewater for last week’s poor outing in a defeat to the Chicago Bears, there is a lot to like. Before that game, he led the league in completion percentage with a 73.4 clip and he’s still fourth at 70.9 percent. Brees, always consistent, is a fractional touch ahead of him. “I think anytime you have experience within a system, you begin to develop confidence in what you are doing and things begin to just become second nature and muscle memory,” Brees said of Bridgewater. “That allows you to play faster and allows you to play more confident. “Teddy is such a steady, calm, poised leader. I appreciated that and I felt like the guys responded to it and there was just a real calm presence when it came to Teddy.” The Panthers have found a nice niche with Bridgewater under center and Mike Davis stepping in admirably in the run game. It is possible to see tantalizing potential for improvement when McCaffrey returns and if explosive receiver D.J. Moore can become a bigger part of the game plan. On the other side of the ball, one of the most inexperienced defenses in the league has stood strong. [STORY IMAGE 3] More than anything, this period is a chance for Bridgewater to show what he can and wants to be. He has shown enough maturity and growth since coming into the league that he is likely to find gainful employment for a long time. If he wants more than that, to be considered as one of the key, reliable guys in the most important position of all – now is the season to show it. And now is the time in that season. Bridgewater didn’t want to over-hype his return to New Orleans, although he did concede that the two years in Louisiana were a significant stepping stone for his career. He went there on the back of a dismal spell with the New York Jets and left for a Carolina contract worth up to $63 million. “The biggest thing (I learned) was to trust in your process and stay committed to (it),” Bridgewater said. “I watched a group of guys there - it’s easy to point out Drew - who had routines and you watched them commit to their routines for 16 weeks-plus. “But it was also, ‘hey, we’re having fun.’ My two years there, those guys played the game, but they had fun doing it. They smiled a lot, it was never really uptight.” [STORY IMAGE 4] Unburdened by unrealistic expectations, the Panthers are also having plenty of fun, yet the Saints will be a tough out. The Saints have had some missed steps but are preparing to welcome around 3,000 fans in the Superdome for the first time this season. In truth, the Saints probably wish they had the luxury looking ahead of Carolina, at Brady’s division leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rather than over their shoulder. Instead, for now at least, it is a three-horse race that few saw coming. No one has been talking about Carolina; even the last place Atlanta Falcons have gotten more focus on account of being so bad and blowing unmissable leads. Defeat this weekend, and that level of anonymity is likely to continue. At 4-3 though, especially if the Bucs can’t poach a win from the Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina would set up the mid-to-latter part of the season for some genuine intrigue. No one wants to be forgotten and the Panthers, behind Bridgewater, are fighting for their right to enter the conversation in one of the league’s most interesting divisions. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Evan Cooper, Carolina Panthers cornerbacks coach: “His football acumen, his love for the game ... his intelligence ... he’s everything coach Rhule and myself believe in as a player. He’s everything you want in a quarterback. You can see that from afar.” Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints head coach: “He’s got an outstanding skill set. He moves, he’s got good arm strength, he’s accurate, he’s a fantastic leader. And players play hard when they’re with him. But it starts with his ability. And I think you’re seeing him extend plays -- he does it throwing it, although he’ll tuck it if he needs to. And he’s spread the ball around well.” Joe Brady, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator: “I think Teddy is the same person from a mentality standpoint, he’s just getting the opportunity to get on the field. I think one thing everyone knows about Teddy Bridgewater is that he’s consistent. He’s prepared when he goes into every football game, and he makes plays when he’s in those games.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Karaoke, trivia and frat parties. [ESPN senior writer Sam Borden]( tells the story of Aaron Rodgers’ inner weirdness. - Danny Garcia became the first woman to own a professional sports league after she (and her ex-husband) purchased the XFL in August. As the league nears a return in 2022, [Sports Illustrated’s Priya Desai]( writes that Garcia is ready for the challenge ahead. - Justin Fields makes the Ohio State offense go, but there’s another key player on offense that wasn’t in Columbus in 2019. [Nick Kosko of 247Sports.com]( explains why Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon is the key for Ohio State’s offense. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( We’ve been waiting, and it’s finally here! Big Ten football is back with a loaded slate of games, highlighted by No. 5 Ohio State taking on Nebraska on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on FOX. Our good friends at the Big Ten Network put together an outstanding video, which will get Big Ten fans fired up for this moment. The video features some of the most recent memorable moments in the Big Ten, including Michigan State’s unforgettable blocked punt against Michigan back in 2015, and Ohio State’s memorable double-overtime victory against the Wolverines in 2016. Sit back, relax, and watch this video as you prepare for the 2020 campaign. Just as the caption says, we can’t wait to see what moments this year’s Big Ten Football season has in store! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays (FOX, 8 p.m. ET) Walker Buehler takes the mound for the Dodgers, who go up against Charlie Morton and the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the World Series. Nebraska at Ohio State (Saturday, FOX, 12 p.m. ET) Justin Fields and the No. 5-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes host Adrian Martinez and the Nebraska Cornhuskers in this Big Ten season opener. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Saturday, FOX, 8 p.m. ET) Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers take on Brandon Lowe and the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 of the World Series. Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (Saturday, FOX, 1 p.m. ET) Teddy Bridgewater and the Carolina Panthers battle Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Las Vegas Raiders (Sunday, FOX, 4 p.m. ET) Tom Brady leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into Las Vegas to take on Derek Carr and the Raiders. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Sunday, FOX, 8 p.m. ET) Clayton Kershaw takes the hill for the Dodgers, who battle Randy Arozarena and the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY]( Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( This week's [NFL Super 6 contest]( offers you a chance to win $1 million – yes, you read that right – $1 MILLION … and it’s absolutely free. Here is a look at the six contests, with picks from Terry Bradshaw. Check out the graphic at the top of this post to see all the picks from our FOX Bet talent: Terry Bradshaw: Washington by 1-3 points vs. Cowboys Packers by 10-14 points vs. Texans Saints by 4-6 points vs. Panthers Falcons by 4-6 points vs. Lions Steelers by 10-14 points vs. Titans Seahawks by 15+ points vs. Cardinals [WHAT THEY SAID] “No dream is too big if you have the right attitude.” — J.J. Watt [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2020 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. 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