It's straightforward from here.

The Carolina Panthers have eight games remaining, starting with Tennessee's visit to Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. The playoffs aren't a realistic possibility for the 2-6 Panthers, but there's plenty left to achieve.

The schedule is stacked against the Panthers, with five of their remaining games on the road, including three in a row after this Sunday.

If the bye week marked the midpoint of the season, this week begins a second season for the Panthers.

"I think we've got some rough games coming up but some winnable games," offensive tackle Jordan Gross said. "We've shown this season that really the team we're playing doesn't matter. It's what we do amongst ourselves.

"If you want to split them into two seasons, we've definitely gotta be above .500 this second half of the year. Our honeymoon period's over with this offense and with this coaching staff. Really, there's no excuses for us not to do well."

If the Panthers are going to make the second half of the season a success, here are five areas that can make it happen:

1. Keep Cam healthy

It's obvious how much Cam Newton means to the Panthers, and keeping him healthy is first on the team's to-do list. Newton seems to feed off football, and it's fair to assume he'll continue to improve through the second half of the season, particularly in reacting to opposing defenses.

Newton has 63 carries this season - many of them forced by defensive pressure - but striking the right balance between using his running skills and keeping him protected in the pocket will factor into every game plan. He's a dynamic force on the field, and the Panthers want to make sure he stays there.

2. Continue building the running game

For all the concern early in the season about the running game, the Panthers rank eighth in the league, averaging 129.6 yards per game.

Three guys have done virtually all the work - DeAngelo Williams leads the team with 363 rushing yards, Jonathan Stewart has 327 and Newton 319.

Williams is averaging 10.5 touches per game, which seems low considering the big money spent to keep him. Stewart, who has 13 more receptions than Williams, is getting 11.75 touches per game.

It's difficult to argue with the numbers because the Panthers have the fifth-most productive offense in the league, and the ground game may become a bigger part of that.

3. Force more turnovers

Check out the league leaders in turnover margin - Detroit, San Francisco, Green Bay, Buffalo, Houston and the New York Giants - and it's no coincidence they're among the teams with the best records.

The Panthers, meanwhile, are 22nd in turnover margin and were lower than that until they forced three in their Week 7 victory over Washington.

Part of it has been Newton's nine interceptions - not unexpected given he's a rookie - but the defense has produced just four interceptions and five fumbles. That puts the Panthers in a minus-3 hole in turnover margin. The more chances they can give themselves with takeaways, the easier it will be to win games.

4. Break a big one

The new kickoff rules have dramatically limited the number of returns, but the Panthers are averaging just 21 yards per return. How does that compare to their opponents?

The Panthers have 505 yards in 24 returns. Opponents have 424 yards in just 15 returns (28.3 average).

The absence of a big return forces the Panthers into long drives. Their average starting position after kickoffs is the 20-yard line, 27th in the league.

Punt returns have been a similar story.

Head coach Ron Rivera said the special teams are coming together after a tough start. If the Panthers can break a return or two it could make a big difference.

5. Get on a winning streak

So much for the idea of bringing a two-game winning streak into the Tennessee game. The loss to Minnesota, maybe the most disappointing of the season for the Panthers, nixed that.

The second-half schedule isn't easy, not with trips to Detroit, Houston, Tampa Bay and New Orleans. But it's not unrealistic to think the Panthers can go 4-4. That means eliminating the big mistakes that have undermined them too often.

It means getting some momentum and riding it.

"Satisfying would be to win (the last) eight, to win out. But there's no telling what's going to happen," Rivera said.

"The biggest thing is, I've said it and I'll say it again, is managing expectations. We're going through a process, but you most certainly want to see it trending up. That's what I want to see at the end of the year. I want to see us trending up. I want to see us finishing, playing hard and playing fast and physical. At the end of the year we can look at it and say we did exactly what we hoped and we believed we could do."