CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers fans cheered like winners for almost four quarters of Carolina's game against the Giants on Sunday night, only to be slapped with the cold reality that below-freezing temperatures in the Meadowlands didn't suit their team.

The Giants tied up the game at 28 points with just minutes left, and Panthers fans at the Fox and Hound in uptown Charlotte held onto their hopes that their team would still pull out a win.  After all, the game had started so well.

"They're attacking it from all angles," said Panthers fan Ben Johnson. "They got the run game going.  They're doing great in the pass game."

Others agreed, saying the only possible weakness the Panthers showed in the first half was its defense.  But then again, the defense spent a lot of time on the field in the first half.

The uptown bar and restaurant was a lot warmer than the Meadowlands, where an on-screen temperature read 29 degrees. But Panthers fans appreciated the way their team kept the heat on the competition.

CarolinaHuddle.com

PHOTOS from the game

"Everyone's fighting for the title," said April Campbell. "And that's the name of the game."

An overtime touchdown by the Giants squelched any chance that Carolina would bring the playoffs home to sunny Charlotte, and fans bundled up in their coats and headed for the door as New York stretched the football over the goal line for the last time.

"It's over," muttered one as he headed out into the cold. 

And suddenly, that warm bar in uptown Charlotte got a lot chillier.