Last season the Carolina Panthers finished 2nd in the NFC South with an 11-5 record. They eventually bowed out in the NFC Wild Card round of the playoffs. Now heading into the 2018 season, an improvement is obviously expected. Torrey Smith and 1st-round draft pick D.J. Moore were added to the receiving corps, giving quarterback Cam Newton some new weapons to work with. Newton’s play this season will go a long way in determining who will rule the NFC South. Will it be the Falcons, Saints, or these Panthers?
1st Down: Can Cam Newton be a model of consistency?
The 2017 season was by no means a terrible one for Newton. He accounted for 28 touchdowns and 4,056 yards of total offense. This is a former league MVP we are talking about though, so the 22 turnovers and 59.1 completion percentage he threw for can definitely be cleaned up. The Panthers go as their franchise quarterback does, and consistency is needed under center more than any other position on the football field. If Newton can take better care of the football, while also being more accurate with his throws the sky’s the limit for both the offense and this Panthers franchise as a whole. Now is the time for Newton’s play to get back to matching the big personality he has both on and off the field.
2nd Down: Is Christian McCaffrey ready to be a workhorse?
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In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Panthers selected McCaffrey 8th overall with their first round pick. In his rookie season McCaffrey was able to produce 1,086 yards of total offense along with seven touchdowns while sharing touches with Jonathan Stewart. With Stewart now gone, the Panthers want McCaffrey to get 25-30 touches per game. That kind of usage could lead to a lot of explosive plays in 2018 for the offense. McCaffrey has a small 5’11” frame, so it is yet to be seen if he can handle that kind of load at the professional level. Those kinds of touches will absolutely cause his numbers to jump, but Carolina also has to put him in the best position to be able to play a full 16 games. If McCaffrey logs the 25-30 touches in good health, this Panthers offense could very well become a scary rushing unit.
3rd Down: How much of an impact can D.J. Moore have in the passing game year one?
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The Panthers grabbed Moore with the 24th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to come in and help Newton in the pass game right away. Over the years, tight end Greg Olsen has been Newton’s favorite weapon of choice but it has been quite clear that some big help is needed on the outside from the actual receiver position. Moore can run every route on the tree, and he is already used to being a top option from his time at the University of Maryland as their best offensive piece. Moore can help Newton’s completion percentage rise with his sure hands and sharp routes, it’s just a matter of how well the rookie will be able to grasp all the offensive concepts as the season progresses. Where the Panthers were able to grab Moore the pick was very much a steal, so this offense has some exciting young potential in store for the coming season.
4th Down: What is the ceiling for this Panthers team?
The NFC will probably end up being much tighter than the AFC this season. Teams like these Panthers, the Packers, Vikings, Eagles, Falcons, Saints, and Rams will all be battling each other for conference supremacy. The deciding factor between all of these good football teams will probably end up being which ones get the best play out of their quarterbacks. If the 2015 MVP version of Cam Newton shows up this season then the Panthers could very well end up at worst Top 3 in the entire NFC. Newton is now 29-years-old, and he has a burning passion to silence some critics. If there ever were a season for him to erupt and take Carolina big places this could be it. This season isn’t Super Bowl or bust for the Panthers, but there isn’t too much higher than last season’s 11-5.
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