Panthers rally

Carolina (1-5) begins push vs. Arizona

If ever a team needed a bye, it was the Carolina Panthers.

The defending NFC champions, who came thisclose to regular-season perfection in 2015, stumbled to a 1-5 start this season. Carolina’s injury-ravaged secondary has been a disaster, and quarterback Cam Newton has taken such a physical pounding that he missed two games with a concussion.

Hopefully the week off solved some of those health issues.

Starting cornerbacks James Bradberry and Robert McClain, along with defensive tackles Vernon Butler and Paul Soliai, all returned to practice. Also, cornerback Leonard Johnson is close to returning from the non-football injury list. Offensive tackle Michael Oher, who is in the concussion protocol, is the only Panther who didn’t practice this week due to an injury.

No matter how you look at it, though, the Panthers are longshots to play in the postseason. Since the AFLNFL merger, only two 1-5 teams have advanced to the playoffs: The 1970 Bengals and the 2015 Chiefs. And the Chiefs won their final 10 games last year to make the dance.

But don’t count Carolina out. Two years ago it started 3-8-1 but thanks to a lateseason surge, won the NFC South.

The rejuvenated Panthers start their playoff push Sunday, hosting an Arizona team coming off an emotionally draining overtime tie with Seattle. Factor in a cross-country flight and an early start, and the Cardinals might not be at their best.

The Panthers are 3-point favorites and get our check mark.

In other games:

SUNDAY Washington (+3) over Cincinnati — It’s doubtful the Bengals turned their season around with a victory over the winless Browns. Take the Redskins and the points across the pond in London. ATLANTA (-3) over Green Bay — The Green Bay defense has glaring injury problems and will have its hands full with Matt Ryan and Co. HOUSTON (-21⁄ 2) over Detroit — The Texans are 4-0 at home and 0-3 on the road with losses at the 6-1 Patriots, 5-1 Vikings and 5-2 Broncos. They’ll get past the Lions, whose 4-3 record

is top-heavy with home games against mediocre competition. Seattle (-3) over NEW ORLEANS — There were times when the Saints were unbeatable in the Superdome, but this year they’re a dismal 1-2 while yielding 39 points per game. Lay the points with Seattle. Patriots (-51⁄2 over BUFFALO — Do you think the Pats will get shut out with Tom Brady under center, as they did in Foxboro a month ago? No way! And the Bills, with their receiving corps hard hit by injuries and top runner LeSean McCoy slowed with a gimpy hamstring,

have little chance of trading points here. New York Jets (-3) over

CLEVELAND — The Jets barely survived a brutal opening schedule that included a five-game stretch with road games at Buffalo, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Arizona. They started to turn things around with a win over Baltimore and will keep building momentum against the 0-7 Browns. Oakland (pick) over TAMPA BAY — Oakland is still unbeaten on the road and, in a showdown featuring two of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks, Oakland’s Derek Carr and Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston, look for the more consistent Raiders to emerge with the win. Kansas City (-21⁄ 2) over INDIANAPOLIS — Kansas City appears playoff bound but needs to beat teams like the Colts to advance in the rugged AFC West. Look for the Chiefs to capitalize on the penalties and turnovers that plague Indy weekly. DENVER (-41⁄ 2) over San Diego — The Broncos will be out for revenge after losing to the Chargers earlier this month in San Diego. With QB Trevor Siemian back in rhythm and its running game starting to percolate, Denver gets its payback. DALLAS (-4) over Philadelphia — The Eagles have hardly been road warriors, 1-2 away from the Linc with the only win coming at 1-6 Chicago. The Pokes are tied with Minnesota for the NFC top seed and won’t stumble here. MONDAY Minnesota (-5) over CHICAGO — With Brian Hoyer out with a broken arm, Jay Cutler is back under center for Chicago. But the moody QB has issues with Bears coach John Fox and may be less than highly motivated in his return. Lay the points with the Vikings. Last week: 8-7-0 Season: 49-55-3