Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said he knew the Panthers were beaten when they gave up the lead in the second half of their Week Three matchup.
And that perspective is interesting, since Munnerlyn used to play for the Panthers and still has some friends there (or maybe he used to).
“When we took the lead, . . . I know those guys. I knew it was over,” Munnerlyn told Alex Marvez of the Sporting News. “I’ve been in that locker room before so I knew. Those guys really don’t play well when they are down.”
The Vikings cornerback began his career with the Panthers, a former seventh-round pick who played five years there before signing with the Vikings in 2014. But a fair number of guys he played with are still in Charlotte, and he specifically mentioned talking to linebacker Thomas Davis recently.
Munnerlyn said the Panthers are still very confident they can turn things around after a 1-3 start, which they probably should be after winning the NFC South three straight seasons.
“I’ve still got friends on the team and I still talk to those guys almost every week. They definitely are a confident group of guys,” Munnerlyn said. “I talked to [Panthers linebacker] Thomas Davis and he’s like, ‘It’s okay, man. We’re going to be all right.’
“They feel like their division is not that good. They feel like they still can win their division. They won it before at 7-8-1 (in 2014) so they feel like they have just got to punch their ticket.”
Of course, that confidence could be a little shaky, since the Vikings ended their 14-game home winning streak.