Panthers preview: Nov. 29 at Minnesota Vikings

Game: Carolina Panthers (4-7) at Minnesota Vikings (4-6), 1 p.m.

TV: FOX (Kenny Albert play-by-play, Jonathan Vilma color analyst, Shannon Spake sideline reporter)

RADIO: WBT-AM 1110/WBT-FM 99.3 in Charlotte is flagship station (Mick Mixon play-by-play, Kurt Coleman and Jim Szoke color analysts, Kristen Balboni sideline reporter)

THE SERIES: Minnesota leads series 8-6 but Carolina won the last meeting 31-24 in Charlotte in 2017. The Panthers are 3-6 all-time in road games against the Vikings.

RANKINGS AMONG NFL (Through week 11): Carolina offense – 19th overall, 20th rushing, 17th passing. Carolina defense – 18th overall, 17th rushing, 19th passing. Minnesota offense – 8th overall, 6th rushing, 19th passing. Minnesota defense – 22nd overall, 22nd rushing, 19thh passing.

BY THE NUMBERS: 20 – The number of Carolina Panthers starting quarterbacks in the team’s 26-year history. P.J. Walker became the 20th last week but starter Teddy Bridgewater (right knee) was nearly cleared to play and could return to the lineup against his former team this week. Panthers quarterbacks are 9-11 all-time in their first starts for the franchise, including Chris Weinke’s 24-13 win at Minnesota to open the 2001 season.

NOTABLE: Panthers Running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss his third straight game with a right shoulder injury. He has missed five games earlier this season with an ankle sprain…
Bridgewater was a first-round pick by the Vikings in the 2014 NFL Draft and spent four seasons on their roster before his fifth-year option was declined by the franchise after he suffered a major left knee injury in the 2016 preseason. Bridgewater still holds 10 Vikings’ franchise records and had a 17-11 record as a starter for Minnesota….
Carolina enters Sunday’s game against the Vikings with a 14-12 record against the NFC North since the current schedule that mandates the Panthers play every team in the NFC East, NFC North and NFC West once every three years. Entering Sunday’s game, the Panthers are 1-1 against the NFC North – with a Week 15 game at Green Bay remaining – and have a had winning records three times; Carolina went 3-1 in 2005, 2008 and 2017….
The Panthers have yielded a 51.8 percent conversion rate on third downs this season. But Carolina is coming off its best effort of the season – three of 14 – in last Sunday’s 20-0 shutout of visiting Detroit….
That shutout victory was the eighth shutout in franchise history. Carolina is 4-3 in games following their previous seven shutouts….
Three Vikings have Carolinas connections – center Garrett Bradbury played at Charlotte Christian and N.C. State, guard Dakota Dozier is from West Columbia, S.C., and played at Furman and defensive end D.J. Wonnum played at South Carolina.