2018 NFL Power Rankings: Wild Card edition

7. Carolina Panthers

11-5 (Wild Card)

No. 5 Seed in NFC

So which version of this very talented team will show up this weekend at the Superdome? The Carolina Panthers are in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. They rebounded from a 6-10 last-place finish in the NFC South to post an 11-5 mark on the way to grabbing a wild card berth. But two of those losses were at the hands of the division champion New Orleans Saints – this Sunday’s opponent.

While quarterback Cam Newton and company bring plenty of recent postseason appearance, Ron Rivera’s club has been pretty erratic this season. And while the team won seven of its last nine game following a midseason two-game losing streak, the way to describe their play is uneven.

Start with Newton, who finished with 22 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. He was picked off three times in three separate games. Of course, he did lead the team with 754 yards on the ground and both he and running back Jonathan Stewart rushed for six scores. All told, Carolina finished fourth in the NFL when it came to rushing offense. Rookie Christian McCaffrey led the team with 80 receptions while wideout Devin Funchess caught 63 passes for 840 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensively, the Panthers finished seventh in the league in fewest total yards allowed. And only three teams gave up fewer yards per game on the ground. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers (56) and Jacksonville Jaguars (55) finished with more sacks (50). But the team also gave up 25 TD passes while totaling only 10 picks. And that’s a little cause for concern, as has been the play of the 2015 NFL MVP.

Next: No. 6