Even after starting the season 4-0, the Carolina Panthers still entered their week six match-up against the Seattle Seahawks as an underdog. Almost everyone picked the Seahawks, and the first four games of the Panthers season was seen as nothing more than a fluke. Nearly every analyst had picked the Seahawks to win the rematch of last season’s divisional playoff round, where the Seattle defense dominated on their way to a win.
The Panthers came in this game not only hoping to avenge the end of last season’s playoff run, but also to prove themselves as a legitimate contender. Cam Newton had a great start to the season, and made his case to be considered an elite quarterback, but many believed that the Panthers had regressed too much from last season to become contenders in January.
Early in the game, the Seahawks seemed to be in total control. They jumped out to an early lead, and the Panthers offense had trouble cracking the Seahawks defense. The Seahawks managed to put up points on back-to-back drives, seeing Ricardo Lockette score on a beautifully executed flea flicker, and a Steven Hauschka field goal to take a 20-7 lead making the game seem all but over.
Cam Newton and the Panthers offense had been in this situation before. But the Panthers offense has been known for their ability to fall apart during big moments, and they seemed doomed to their first loss of the season.
But Newton and the offense began to click, and were firing on all cylinders. Newton engineered two great drives, and two Jonathan Stewart touchdowns put the Panthers back in the game, and suddenly many around Century Link Field were getting nervous. The Seahawks managed a field goal, but the Panthers were still within a touchdown of winning the game.
Then Newton did it again. Another great drive led the Carolina offense down the field again with Newton finding tight end Greg Olson for a 26 yard score, and the Panthers left CenturyLink with their fifth victory of the season, thus remaining one of the NFL’s unbeaten teams.
So what did we learn about the Panthers?
First, they are legitimate contenders. They have five wins out of five, and now have a victory over one of the NFL’s most successful franchises over the past few years. Despite being seemingly butchered in the offseason, the Panthers have defied the odds and managed to win games that they should have lost on paper.
They also proved that they can pull through in high pressure situations. The Seahawks are nearly unbeatable, and have seemed to be Carolina’s kryptonite over the past few years. After going down by two possessions, the Panthers should have been out of the game. But playing against a team they have failed to beat repeatedly, their offense managed to rally together and put three great drives together to win, while the Panthers of the past would have failed to move the ball at all down the field.
Luke Kuechly went off in his return to the line-up, and the Panthers offense was clicking. Their pass rush took huge advantage of the Seahawks awful offensive line, and came up with four sacks. Wilson was contained, and was not the threat he usually is on his feet. With their leader back, the Panthers defense is a force to be reckoned with.
And finally, Cam Newton has emerged has an elite quarterback in the NFL. He has done the most with what seems to be the NFL offense with the least amount of weapons. He has put the team on his own shoulders. With the Falcons having lost to New Orleans earlier in the week, the Panthers are in the driver’s seat to win their third straight NFC South title.
Despite the many doubts at the beginning of the season, the Panthers have defied the odds and have shown that they can be legitimate contenders come January. Cam Newton may be an MVP candidate come the end of the season, and the Panthers are a team to be feared around the league.
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