It’s Christmas and the Carolina Panthers are still unbeaten.
And by the New Year the Panthers will, almost certainly, still be perfect.
What a shocker. No one, and I mean no one, saw this coming.
Not even the staunchest Panthers fan would tell you that after finishing the 2014 regular season 7-8-1 and then losing their top receiver in the pre-season that Carolina had a shot at becoming only the second team ever to reach 16-0.
After surviving a scare against the Giants in Week 14, the Panthers should complete their pursuit for perfection with games against the lacklustre Falcons and inconsistent Buccaneers.
But forget that prediction. Let’s talk about the Panthers chances in the post-season.
Any NFL fan could tell you that the last team to reach 16-0 failed to get it done in the Super Bowl due to those pesky New York Giant killers.
Can the Panthers go one better and complete the coveted 19-0 Super Bowl season?
I read an article by USA Today entitled: Four reasons the Panthers probably won’t stay undefeated.
Those damn pessimists at USA Today.
They cite the fact the Panthers have to blitz to get pressure (so?), that their secondary is thin (see Norman, Josh), that their offense relies on big plays (that’s good, right?) and that coaching decisions are still a concern (yeah, maybe).
It’s not much of a list.
I know, how about I give you four reasons why they will. That should show those gloom-ridden types at USA Today.
(1) A balanced offense
Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula has found a good mix of moving the ball on the ground and threw the air this season.
Cam Newton has always been a threat to take off for a run when the pocket breaks down, but this year the Panthers have had a healthy and consistent Jonathan Stewart carrying the rock.
When second-year pro Kelvin Benjamin went down with a season-ending ACL tear the Panthers receiving corps were expected to be the team’s weak link in 2015.
But instead they have received contributions across the board to fill the void.
Greg Olsen (1048 yards and seven touchdowns) has been one of the best pass-catching tight-ends in the league, Tedd Ginn Jr (730 yards and ten touchdowns) is a constant deep threat and Jerricho Cotchery (409 yards and two touchdowns) and Devin Funchess (353 yards and four touchdowns) have chipped in valuable catches.
(2) Luke Kuechly
It might seem a bit implausible to put the success of an entire team on the back of a linebacker, but Luke Kuechly is no ordinary player.
He is the successor to Mike Singletary and Ray Lewis as the defining middle linebacker of his era. And once again he has become the key cog in a stingy Panthers defence.
The youngest player to ever win defensive player of the year honours, Kuechly can tackle all day long, covers sideline to sideline, stops the run and drops into coverage. He can do it all.
If he stays healthy and his game stays at that elite level then the Panthers defence will be as hard to score on as any other.
(3) The coming of age of Cam Newton
He always had raw talent, but this season Newton has refined his game to the point where he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL – not just among dual-threat quarterbacks or fantasy quarterbacks, but pocket passers and traditional gun-slingers.
He is also one of the best all-round athletes in the league and has a real chance of being named the NFL MVP when the honour is announced next month.
Newton is second in the league in passing touchdowns (33) behind Tom Brady, and leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards (580) and touchdowns (seven). He has showed great poise when leading drives and regularly zips the ball into tight windows for his receivers.
He deserves a great deal of the credit for Carolina’s unbeaten run so far and if the Panthers are to make a postseason push then he will need to lift his game to another level again. All indications are that he is ready to make that ascent to greatness.
(4) A Chip on the old shoulder
The Panthers have overcome some adversity to get to this point.
They won only one game in 10 weeks during the middle of the 2014 regular season. This season they have won a number of close games when they could have easily fallen in a heap. Essentially, there seems to be a massive attitude adjustment in Carolina under head coach Ron Rivera.
They are playing angry and with a sense of entitlement. Just watch Josh Norman on defence. Look at Cam Newton dancing in the end zone and handing out footballs to children.
As Pro Football Focus points out: “As the Panthers piled up win after win early in the season, few believed in them nationally. Which provided authentic, organic, natural motivation for the team to keep winning. Now, as they have the best record in the league by two full games and continue to push toward only the second 16-0 regular season in league history, the Panthers are having to conjure disrespect wherever they can find it.”
The Panthers keep hearing that they are the worst team to ever be undefeated at this point of the season. They might just be the worst team to go undefeated and win a Super Bowl.
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