National Football League

Panthers peaking at right time, thanks to offensive shift

Published Dec. 29, 2014 2:27 p.m. ET

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TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Carolina Panthers are enduring ridicule for becoming just the second team in the Super Bowl era to make the playoffs with a losing record. Coach Ron Rivera is offering no apologies.

"The beautiful thing -- record doesn't matter," Rivera said after the Panthers crushed the Atlanta Falcons, 34-3, to win the NFC South on Sunday with a 7-8-1 record. "That's the best part."

It would be easy to dismiss the Panthers based on that record, but four weeks ago, the Panthers were 3-8-1 and sporting 500-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, according to the online gambling site, Bovada. Since then, Carolina has won all four of its December games, outscoring opponents 111-43.

Here is a quick glance at Carolina's season, three key reasons why the Panthers have turned things around and three concerns for the Cardinals.

Record: (7-8-1)

How they reached the playoffs: Won NFC South

Longest streaks: Lost six straight from Oct. 19-Nov. 30; won four straight from Dec 7-28.

Offensive rankings: Overall, 16th (346.7 yards per game); passing, 19th (219.4); rushing, 7th (127.2); scoring, 19th (21.2)

Passing leader: QB Cam Newton, 262 completions, 448 attempts, 3,127 yards, 18 TDs, 12 INTs, 82.1 passer rating.

Rushing leaders: RB Jonathan Stewart, 175 attempts, 809 yards, 3 TDs; Newton, 103 attempts, 539 yards, 5 TDs.

Receiving leaders: TE Greg Olsen, 84 receptions, 1,008 yards, 6 TDs; WR Kelvin Benjamin, 73 receptions, 1,008 yards, 9 TDs.

Tackling leaders: LB Luke Kuechly, 153 tackles (99 solos); LB Thomas Davis, 100 tackles (66 solos).

Sack leaders: DE Charles Johnson, 8.5; DE Mario Addison, 6.5.

Interception leader: SS Roman Harper 4

Kicking: Graham Gano, 29-35 FGs, 71 touchbacks (3rd in NFL).

Punting: Brad Nortman, 44.9 average, 36.5 net, 26 inside 20.

Cam Newton is a running threat again: After confining Newton to the pocket for much of this season due to an ankle injury and changes in the offensive philosophy, the Panthers are letting Newton do what he does best again. During its Week 12 bye, Carolina incorporated more read-option plays and QB runs to enhance the ground game while featuring play-action and movement-based concepts on passing plays. Newton has rushed for 246 yards and three TDs in his last four games. He looks no worse for wear after a scary car wreck on Dec. 9 that forced him to miss a week.

Jonathan Stewart is revived: Four of Stewart's top five rushing efforts this season have come since the Week 12 bye -- 85 yards against Minnesota, 155 against New Orleans, 75 against Tampa and 122 against Cleveland. He only carried the ball 13 times on Sunday in Atlanta or he might have had another big day. Stewart looks fresh again, and the offensive line is healthier than it was early in the season.

The remade secondary: Following an ugly loss in Minnesota on Nov. 30, veteran safety Charles Godfrey and veteran cornerback Antoine Cason were cut. Rookies Tre Boston and Bene Benwikere took their place. The Panthers' secondary has looked much quicker since, and Carolina has forced nine of its 26 turnovers in the past four weeks, including five interceptions.

Newton and the run game: Newton's mobility is a major concern for a Cardinals defense that has allowed five of its last six opponents to rush for more than 100 yards, and two in a row to top 200 (San Francisco had 206 on Sunday; Seattle had 267 the week before). In the past two games, the 49ers' Colin Kaepernick and the Seahawks' Russell Wilson, a pair of mobile QBs, combined for 13 carries, 151 yards and a TD. If the highly mobile Newton and Stewart are both clicking in the run game on Saturday, the Cardinals could be in big trouble. Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles always says stopping the run and making offenses one-dimensional is his top priority.

Tight end Greg Olsen: The Cardinals' struggles against elite tight ends have been well documented the past few seasons. Carolina's Olsen is second among NFL tight ends with 1,008 receiving yards, third in receptions with 84 and tied for seventh in TDs (6). He has the kind of speed to create matchup problems. Safeties Deone Bucannon and Tyrann Mathieu will be among those players charged with stopping him.

An East Coast game: NFL coaches and players are creatures of habit. They like their schedules the same every week. That won't be the case for a wild-card playoff game that falls a day earlier than normal in a time zone two hours removed. The Cardinals are 3-2 in the Eastern Time Zone under Bruce Arians, losing to Philadelphia and Atlanta; beating Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants.

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