Five reasons why the Carolina Panthers won’t be the top seed in the NFC

3. Can the Panthers continue running the ball effectively?

Carolina is going have to do what they do best to secure the NFC’s No.1 seed: run the football.

Jonathan Stewart has been a workhorse all season, as he is the league’s third leading rusher with 832 yards. Stewart is in the midst of having at least 20 rushing attempts in seven straight games. Can this type of production remain as the Panthers head into the playoffs?

Not likely, as opposing teams are beginning to stack the box on the line of scrimmage without any worries that the Panthers will burn them deep downfield. This alignment will make it awfully difficult for an offense to effectively run the football, and force Cam Newton to beat teams with his arm.

The Panthers must identify who on their roster is a deep threat downfield, as this player must stretch the defense and open up more space in the middle of the field to effectively run the football. This will force opposing defenses to play in traditional alignments rather than stacking the line of scrimmage. A dominant rushing attack means the Panthers are effectively moving downfield and scoring points, if not then they will struggle to maintain any form of offensive consistency.

Next: Receiving corps