Panthers well-positioned to win third straight NFC South title
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Yes, the Carolina Panthers made the playoffs last season, but it was basically by default as they finished 7-8-1.
It was a small miracle they finished as well as they did considering all the things that went wrong last season -- from Greg Hardy's legal situation to all the running backs going down with injuries to quarterback Cam Newton having health and accuracy issues from the get-go.
This year, however, everything looks to be playing into Carolina's favor for a third straight playoff run.
In fact, not only is it likely, it's expected.
The Panthers enter training camp in a few weeks with perfect health and stabilization. Last season, Carolina had more than just questions at receiver, quarterback, offensive line, defensive line and the secondary. They had major, major issues. For the most part, those issues have vanished.
The offensive line looks to be a positive for the first time in years. The only true unknown is how newly acquired left tackle Michael Oher will perform. If he is just mediocre, it will still be an offensive line that is leaps and bounds ahead of what began last season. The secondary is full of young talent that earned their stripes in the second half of 2014 and performed very well. There's also some veteran leadership to help guide the way. It looks to be the best secondary Carolina has had in years, too.
The only true concern, and it's a slight one, is at receiver. It depends on how well second-round draft pick Devin Funchess performs. If the Michigan product does anything close to what last year's rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin did, the team will be well on its way.
The defensive line no longer has the distraction of Hardy. And not to be overlooked is the return of defensive end Frank Alexander, who missed all but two games last season due to a drug suspension.
The running backs are younger and quicker now that the franchise's all-time leading rusher DeAngelo Williams is gone. Jonathan Stewart, who was the best back in the NFL over the final five games of the season, becomes the primary back for the first time in his career. Staying healthy is a must for Stewart -- it's been a major issue since first being drafted in the first round out of Oregon in 2008. When healthy, there are few better in the NFL.
Then there's Newton, who is 100 percent healthy. He no longer has ankle, back or rib issues. Newton is the owner of a lucrative new contract and he will no doubt want to show that he is worthy of it. With that said, he needs to do a far better job at finding his receivers. His completion percentage goal should be around 63 percent. Last year it was below 60.
Perhaps the biggest reason Carolina is primed to make a third-straight NFC South Division title run is the schedule. The Panthers couldn't have asked for a better one.
Last year, Carolina managed to beat just one team with a winning record: Detroit in Week 2. Then they went on to go 0-5-1 the rest of the way against teams above .500. This year's slate features six teams coming off a winning season, with only four making the playoffs. Even better, four of those six games are played in Charlotte.
There's stability, continuity, experience, youth and high expectations for the 2015 Carolina Panthers. None of the 17,582 excuses used when discussing the Panthers the last four years can be used this time.
It truly is playoffs or bust.
And if by some chance things implode and they don't make the playoffs, then there very well may be big changes. Head coach Ron Rivera can't afford to have just one winning season out of five, especially in the weak NFC South. That, however, is very unlikely. Expect Carolina to make it three in a row.
