Carolina Panthers: Answering offensive questions will quiet naysayers
The Carolina Panthers are facing preseason criticism from many expecting them to under-perform in 2018.
Many are looking at the Carolina Panthers as a team that may not reach their potential this season. If the Panthers are going to prove their doubters wrong, the conversation starts with the offense, where a lot of questions exist.
As the franchise quarterback, much of this conversation begins and ends with Cam Newton. The former NFL MVP has to return to the form that captivating audiences during the 2015 season. This doesn’t mean he has to walk out with another MVP trophy with his name etched on it, but instead, he has to find a way to remain consistent from start to finish, game after game, week after week.
That consistency must come in the form of a high completion percentage and negating many of the errors that have plagued Newton for large portions of his career. For much of his career, Newton’s hovered around the 60 percent mark when it comes to completion percentage. If Newton can meet and exceed those numbers in 2018, there’s a great chance that the Panthers can have a successful season from an offensive standpoint.
Yet, another part of the conversation is this receiving core. The Panthers ended 2018 averaging 192.4 yards through the air. That put them in the 28th slot in the league; not a position that was expected when they have such a dynamic playmaker like Newton at the helm. Newton’s proved that he has the abilities to get things done from under center, but what about the individuals around him? This is another aspect to the conversation that will dictate how well Carolina performs in the coming season.
The Panthers brought in Torrey Smith to fill in as veteran leadership within the wide receiving group, but he’s surrounded by a wealth of inexperience that hasn’t fully bloomed into anything special. Even Devin Funchess, who was tabbed as the main weapon last year, hasn’t looked like the break out performer that some expected him to become.
Behind Funchess and Smith, the Panthers receiving corps is filled with youthful players that are looking to make a mark in the NFL. While many of them have shown that they can make big plays from time to time, it’s the lack of a consistent, big play threat that makes this passing attack less of threat than it’s been in past seasons.
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The Carolina Panthers are in a position in which they can set a lot of naysayers straight if they can pull together a winning season. In 23 seasons the Panthers have yet to have back to back seasons over 500 and if they listen to experts across the league, this will not be the year it happens. However, if Cam Newton can get the pieces around him to rally while remaining consistent himself, this team could surprise a lot of people in 2018.