Panthers

Carolina Panthers: Super Bowl Contenders

After losing three of their first four games, Carolina has been red hot as they have won six games in a row. The Panthers have caught the attention of many football experts, but not one has mentioned them as a Super Bowl contender.

Cam Newton has experienced plenty of ups and downs in his short tenure as the Carolina quarterback. He has always been a joy to watch, but when his team would face adversity he seemed to deflect any responsibility. His stats would be mind-boggling, but the Panthers would lose games. This season Newton seems to have gotten a better grasp of the offense and becoming more of a leader. During his team's winning streak, he has thrown for ten touchdowns, rushed for three more, and only thrown three picks. I believe he has developed confidence in his team's defense led by Luke Kuechly.

The defense has been lights out as they are ranked first in points per game, fifth in passing yards, eighth in rushing yards, and third in turnovers. This unit plays smash mouth defense as they look to shut you down. They have Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy who have 14 sacks combined. Star Lotulelei opens gaps and allows Kuechly and Thomas Davis to stuff the run. Mike Mitchell, following the loss of Charles Godfrey, anchors their secondary.
 

This Panthers team has it clicking on all cylinders, but gets left out of Super Bowl contender discussions. San Francisco, Seattle, and Kansas City have all been mentioned in various Super Bowl scenarios. Carolina is the same as each of those three teams. They each possess a quarterback who is efficient, they love to run the ball, and they have game-changing defenses. A couple years ago, the New York Jets nearly went to the Super Bowl twice as they possessed those same qualities. If Carolina is not a Super Bowl contender, they should at least be taken very seriously. In the playoffs, no team wants to have to play this hard-nosed team led by a 6'5 250 lb behemoth.