Charlotte, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers completed one of the best regular seasons in NFL history on Sunday, and were rewarded with a first round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Carolina proved to be one of the strongest teams in the league over the course of the season and enters the post-season with the confidence and belief that they are capable of defeating any team in the NFL, especially on their home field.
Despite finishing with the best record in the league, the Panthers are not the odds on favorite in Las Vegas to win the Superbowl, or even the NFC Championship for that matter. Those honors go to the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals respectively. Carolina dealt with skepticism and doubt nationally as they strung together 14 consecutive wins this season, before falling to the Atlanta Falcons, and used it as motivation to impose their will on each opponent while remaining true to who they are as a team.
The Panthers, led by MVP candidate Cam Newton, were able to combine the focus and intensity necessary to win games in the NFL with a lighthearted and jovial spirit that made the team a fan favorite locally and nationally. Carolina looks to build on their brilliant regular season by making a run to the Superbowl, but they will have to defeat two equally determined teams in the process. Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, and Green Bay are all good teams with aspirations of representing the NFC in the Superbowl. Each team presents different challenges and the possible match-ups are intriguing to consider.
The Panthers could know their divisional playoff opponent following the conclusion of the contest between the Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, January 10th, at 1:05 p.m.. The Vikings are the third seed in the NFC and Seattle earned the sixth and final spot in the NFC with a very solid conclusion to the season. The Panthers will play the lowest remaining seed following Wild Card Weekend, so if Seattle defeats the Vikings, the Seahawks are coming to town. If the Vikings upset the Seahawks, either the Redskins or Packers are headed to Charlotte.
The Seahawks enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NFL. The Vikings have the league’s leading rusher in Adrian Peterson, and a young quarterback who is gaining experience and confidence each week in Teddy Bridgewater. As a side note, the Seahawks drubbed the Vikings 38-7 in Minnesota earlier this season.
Although the Vikings defense and running game are above average, it is questionable whether the second year quarterback Bridgewater is ready to lead his team to deep in to the playoffs. Bridgewater is efficient in the short and intermediate passing game, but he has struggled to get the ball deep down the field. Theoretically, if Carolina can consistently apply pressure to Bridgewater, then they should be able to make the Vikings one dimensional and focus on stopping Adrian Peterson and the Viking’s running game.
Carolina and Seattle have developed a cross country rivalry having played each other five times since 2012. Carolina won the most recent match up this season, 27-23, in a thrilling game. Each team possesses a dual threat quarterback, powerful running game, and stifling defense, so they are essentially mirror images of one another. Russell Wilson has played as well as any quarterback in the league, including Cam Newton over the second half of the season and has been asked to do more as a passer due to the injuries to Marshawn Lynch and back up running back Thomas Rawls. This season, Wilson became the first player in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, while also running for 500 yards. He and Doug Baldwin have developed an amazing chemistry, and the duo has accounted for 12 passing touchdowns since week 10. So the Carolina game plan may be slightly different than it has been in the past against the Seahawks. Emotions would undoubtedly be high in a playoff contest between these two teams, and the games always seem to be very competitive and close. Jonathan Stewart and Marshawn Lynch both come in to the post season with injury concerns, as do many players at this point in the season, so the health of each team would definitely be a factor in the game plan and determining the outcome.
I think the Panthers would have a more favorable match up against the Vikings, but at this point the wining formula is similar for most teams: run the ball well; play good defense; and don’t turn the ball over. So, the Panthers will need to bring maximum intensity following a two week layoff and execute their own game plan no matter who the opponent is.
Should the Vikings upset the Seahawks, then the Panthers will host the winner of the Green Bay Packers vs. Washington Redskins game. The Redskins are playing well at the end of the season, which is every team’s goal. The two teams seem to be trending in opposite directions, and Washington is a slight favorite at home.
Green Bay has not been the same team without talented wide receiver, Jordy Nelson who was lost in the preseason. They are still a dangerous team led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, and James Jones are a formidable receiving core, and Rodgers makes them all a threat to score at any moment. Injuries to bruising running back Eddie Lacy, and offensive line woes have contributed to a lack of continuity in the Green Bay offense. Rodgers who was sacked 28 times in 2014, has been sacked 46 times in the 2015 season. The Packers have a stingy pass defense, and a middle of the pack run defense which playoff opponents will try to exploit.
The Redskins outlasted all of the other contenders in the NFC East to win the division. They enter the playoffs on a four game win streak although none of the teams they defeated during the streak have a winning record. Still, Kirk Cousins is playing like a franchise quarterback. He has good speed to work with at the wide receiver position and an emerging tight end in Jordan Reed. The Redskins give up a lot of yards against the run and pass. They were the winners of the worst division in football, but the offense has found a rhythm with Cousins at quarterback.
The Panthers defeated both teams handily during the regular season. They defeated Green Bay 37-29 in week 8 in a game in which the Panthers led 27-7 at halftime and had to hold the Packers off in the second half. Carolina destroyed Washington 44-16 in a game that was never close. Washington is playing better than they were at that time while Green Bay seems to be in the same rut. However, any team with a proven Superbowl winner such as Rodgers cannot be discounted.
The first leg of the path to the Superbowl would seem to be easier for the Panthers if the Vikings can beat the Seahawks in Minnesota, thus sending the winner of the Packers vs Redskins tilt to Charlotte. The Panthers were the best team in football over the course of the 2015 season and should not be afraid to face any challenge presented. It seems as if Destiny, along with most of the viewing public, might favor another bout between the Panthers and Seahawks.
