NFL playoffs: How your team can make it
NFC. South. Carolina Panthers. 1. player. 87.
The Carolina Panthers are the first team since division realignment to reign supreme in the NFC South two consecutive years. Sure, the defense of the first title was a bump ride, but the Panthers were able to make the postseason as division champs with a 7-8-1 mark, only the second team in league history to win a division with a losing record.
Carolina remains the best team in what is a mediocre division, sporting an ultra-athletic quarterback and a terrific defensive front seven. While the secondary is fairly suspect, the group in front of them is loaded with All-Pro Luke Kuechly and his sidekick, Thomas Davis, who signed a two-year extension in the offseason. On the line, Carolina boasts Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy and Star Lotulelei.
The defense has the ability to be a top-10 unit, which is was in 2013 before struggling early on in 2014. In the playoffs, the defense rose to the occasion, keeping the Arizona Cardinals under 60 total yards in a victory. With a star-studded front, the Panthers will cause turnovers from pressure and force teams to punt from deep in their own end. On that alone, the offense will be propped up.
Carolina has strides to make on both sides of the ball, but if the talent around Cam Newton such as Kevin Benjamin and Greg Olsen can be consistent, head coach Ron Rivera’s group should win nine or 10 games. In the NFC South, that will likely result in a runaway title. If the Panthers can stay healthy and simply play to their potential, they will be playing into January.
Next: New Orleans Saints