Panthers midseason superlatives: Transformative moments have marked 7-3 start

The Carolina Panthers rolled into their bye week on a high note, having dispatched the Miami Dolphins with the best offensive performance in terms of net yards in franchise history.

The bye fell a little later than usual for the Panthers, who have won three in a row to get to 7-3 and sit a half-game back of the sizzling New Orleans Saints (7-2) in the NFC South.

Carolina needed just 10 games to surpass their win total from last season’s dismal 6-10 finish.

The Panthers are right in the thick of the NFC playoff picture despite trading their top receiver at midseason, enduring a franchise-worst, six-game drought without an interception and seeing two Pro Bowl starters on offense – center Ryan Kalil and tight end Greg Olsen – each miss eight games because of injury.

But reinforcements could be coming for the stretch run.

Olsen, who sustained a Jones fracture in his right foot in a Week 2 win vs. Buffalo, is eligible to come off injured reserve for next week’s game against the Jets.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera says he’s still hopeful Kalil (neck) will play again this season, while second-year wideout Damiere Byrd (broken forearm) could be back from injured reserve for the Dec. 3 showdown with the Saints in New Orleans.

A couple of high-profile players, including Julian Edelman and Dez Bryant, returned from Jones fractures in recent years, only to need additional surgeries after the season.

Olsen does not think that will be the case with him.

“I feel confident that they’re not going to put me out there, I’m not going to put myself in harm’s way. But I’m not going to worry about it,” Olsen said.

“I’m just going to go out and do what I can to help us keep winning. We’ve got six games left. This is the meat of our season now. And what happens, happens.”

What the Panthers hope happens is quarterback Cam Newton will continue playing at high performance and energy levels and the new-look offense can complement the NFL’s No. 1 defense.

As impressive as the 548 total yards and Newton’s four touchdowns passes were against Miami, tight end Ed Dickson said it was the way the Panthers carried themselves Monday night that brought back memories of the Super Bowl season.

“When you’re playing like that and (with) the swagger, it’s hard to match that. In 2015 we had that. It was kind of the DNA,” Dickson said. “We want to be playing our best football when our best football’s needed. That’s the back half of the season.”

While the Panthers take a break during their Week 11 bye, the Observer’s Joseph Person and Jourdan Rodrigue look back at the good, bad and ugly from the season’s first 10 weeks.

First-half MVP

Jourdan: Luke Kuechly. Despite missing a game while in the concussion protocol, Kuechly has been the far and away leading defensive presence for Carolina.

The middle linebacker is tied with cornerback James Bradberry with a team-high 41 tackles, has four passes defensed and three of the team’s five interceptions. On a team in which the defense carried the offense for most of the first half of the season (and currently ranks No. 1 in the NFL), Kuechly is the star thus far.

Joe: Cam Newton. As the last two years have shown us, the Panthers will go as far as Cam Newton takes them. With Christian McCaffrey giving him a dependable, underneath receiving outlet, Newton is completing 62.1 percent of his passes, which would be a career high. But it’s Newton’s running that helped the Panthers snap a two-game skid and reel off three wins in a row.

Most Improved

Jourdan: Left tackle Matt Kalil. Kalil had a pretty rough start in Carolina, as the Panthers’ offensive line gave up 22 sacks in its first seven games and struggled to get any sort of rushing attack going. Kalil himself gave up seven pressures in Week 2 against Buffalo (according to Pro Football Focus), as the Panthers allowed a season-high six sacks. The following week, Kalil gave up three sacks in a loss to New Orleans.

But through the past three games, the line has allowed just one sack and Kalil especially has improved in his downfield blocking and creation of cutback lanes for a restored run game.

Joe: Devin Funchess. The third-year wide receiver’s production has soared since Kelvin Benjamin was traded to the Bills. Without Benjamin clogging passing lanes, Funchess has benefitted from more space on crossing routes, in particular. Funchess’ 178 receiving yards (on 10 catches) since Benjamin’s departure represent the best two-game stretch of his career.

Turning point

Jourdan: The coaching staff giving up on efforts to curb Newton in the run game.

The coaches didn’t necessarily want Newton to run less, but to run more judiciously so as to preserve his body. When the restrictions eased, Carolina began to find its offensive momentum.

Newton rushed for 225 yards in Weeks 8-10, all Panthers victories, as opposed to 221 yards from weeks 1-7, during which time the offense struggled to sustain drives and put points on the board. Defenses found Newton easier to account for when he wasn’t using his legs as much. In fact, Saints defensive end Cam Jordan said, after a Week 3 blowout, that “clearly he’s trying to be more of a pocket passer and I’m OK with it.”

When Newton led the team in rushing yards for four consecutive weeks, the Panthers finally began to find their groove.

Joe: Mike Adams’ interception at Tampa Bay.

The Panthers had lost two in a row heading to Tampa in Week 8, and no defensive back had an interception all season. With Carolina leading 10-3 early in the fourth quarter, Adams made a diving pick on a Jameis Winston floater. The Panthers had a two-touchdown lead five plays later. It was the first of two interceptions in back-to-back weeks for Adams, and among five takeaways during the Panthers’ three-game win streak.

Best Win

Jourdan: At home against Atlanta in Week 9.

Carolina’s 20-17 win over the Falcons broke a three-game losing streak against an NFC South rival and kept the Panthers closely in the race for first place with New Orleans. And it proved that Carolina had the capacity to rally on offense despite two early turnovers.

Joe: At New England in Week 4.

No, the Patriots had not been playing especially well early in the season. Still, the Panthers showed resolve in knocking off the defending Super Bowl champs 33-30 in Foxborough, Mass. Tom Brady erased a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit before Newton drove the Panthers into position for Graham Gano’s 48-yard field goal as time expired.

Worst Loss

Jourdan: Home against New Orleans in Week 3.

Carolina’s loss to New Orleans put the Panthers in the position to play catch-up to the hot-streak Saints.

Joe: At Chicago in Week 7.

The Panthers found a way to lose a game in which former North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky completed just four passes, only one of which went to a wideout. Carolina gifted the Bears two defensive touchdowns – both by rookie DB Eddie Jackson – in the 17-3 defeat. Falling to the hapless Bears (3-6) could sting even more if it costs the Panthers a home playoff game.

Most Perplexing Injury

Jourdan: Kuechly’s stint in the concussion protocol.

The whole situation was puzzling because although Kuechly was in the league-mandated protocol and showed up on the injury report with a concussion, he never actually came out and said he had suffered one. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Kuechly didn’t have a concussion, but to be in the protocol literally means that evaluations showed a player to have suffered a concussion. And the whole thing begged the question – what is a concussion, anyway? It varies by person. See how that’s confusing?

Joe: Ryan Kalil’s neck injury.

What started out being described as being a “crick” in Kalil’s neck has become much more for the five-time Pro Bowler. Kalil and the Panthers have refused to divulge the specifics of Kalil’s injury, but it’s been enough to keep him out for all but the opening game – and part of another. Kalil has been doing a lot of work on the side at practice in the hopes of returning to action.

Biggest Surprise

Jourdan: Christian McCaffrey’s ineffectiveness on punt return.

After being one of the most prolific punt returners in college football, McCaffrey was tried at the position to very little success. It’s surprising that the rookie and No. 8 overall pick has not broken a touchdown return on special teams – but coaches think he’s close.

Joe: The defense’s No. 1 ranking.

I’m with Ron Rivera on this. I thought the veteran defense would be good, just not this good. The front seven has been excellent, with defensive tackle Kawann Short showing he’s worth his $85.5 million contract and ageless edge rusher Julius Peppers playing like he deserved more than $3.5 million (plus incentives). Cornerback James Bradberry has made big strides in his second year.

Move that transformed the offense

Jourdan: The addition of McCaffrey.

The rookie from Stanford took away Carolina’s frustrating 2016 dependence on long-developing routes to receivers who could not separate, a problem exacerbated by a porous offensive line. McCaffrey has already broken the team record for receiving yards by a running back. He has 433 yards, second on the team behind Devin Funchess. More importantly, he has offered layup quick-route options to Newton, giving McCaffrey a chance to create extra yards and explosive plays.

Just how much has his presence changed Newton? In Weeks 8-10, as Newton’s yards per pass attempt dropped from 7.5 to 5.9, the line gave up a single sack, and the Panthers’ third down conversion percentage rose to 46.9, second-best in the NFL. Carolina has also been able to spread the ball around to other playmakers with defenses keying in on the shifty, elusive McCaffrey.

Joe: Trading Kelvin Benjamin.

There was some “addition by subtraction” talk after Benjamin was dealt for a pair of 2018 draft picks. And guess what? That’s exactly what’s happened (see above). As dangerous as Benjamin was in the red zone, he had poor work habits and was a high-maintenance receiver.

Move that transformed the defense

Jourdan: Signing Julius Peppers.

The biggest move in free agency took this defense from menacing to perhaps the NFL’s best. Peppers sparked Carolina’s pass-rush early and leads the team with 7.5 sacks – and he’s only played 46 percent of the defensive snaps.

Joe: Steve Wilks’ aggressiveness.

Rivera stayed in-house when Sean McDermott went to Buffalo, promoting Wilks, his secondary coach, to defensive coordinator. At his first press conference in the new job, Wilks promised wrinkles as he looked for ways to improve. Wilks has blitzed more than his predecessor and has been creative in the ways he’s used outside linebacker Shaq Thompson.

Best #HurneyMagic moment

Jourdan: Trading Benjamin.

While the deal was a surprise and a little confusing at first, it makes total sense for what the Panthers are trying to do.

With two big-and-tall receivers in Benjamin and Funchess, the team felt top-heavy. Carolina traded Benjamin to get more speed on the field, and in the process bet on Funchess to step up big. He has, with 178 yards on 10 catches with two touchdowns in two weeks.

The trade allowed speed threats Curtis Samuel and Kaelin Clay to get more time on the field, adding players defenses must always hold accountable as deep threats. Funchess became more of a mid-to-long-range option, and his yards per catch increased from 10.8 pre-trade to 17.8.

Joe: Making things right with Thomas Davis and Greg Olsen.

Once games start and the season cranks up, it’s easy to forget how dysfunctional the preseason was for the Panthers. Dave Gettleman’s mishandling of the Davis and Olsen contract situations earned him a pink slip and threatened to create disharmony in the locker room. Enter interim general manager Marty Hurney, who promptly gave Davis a one-year extension and sweetened Olsen’s deal with incentives. Hurney may have been accused of overspending during his first stint as GM, but these were two guys he had to take care of.

Best Quote

Jourdan: “Thomas Davis is really good at football.” – A shirt, worn by linebacker Thomas Davis.

Joe: “Yeah, we just lost a great player. But nevertheless the Titanic still has to go.” – Newton, following the Benjamin trade.

Where will all this end up?

Jourdan: Regular-season record of 12-4.

I think there’s a great chance for Carolina to head into the NFC showdown in New Orleans (7-2) in Week 13 with an 8-3 record, but I don’t know if anyone can stop the Saints right now I predict a loss in the Super Dome, but the Panthers will win out after that.

Joe: Regular-season record of 11-5.

The Panthers defense has played at a championship-caliber level all season. If Cam and Co. can build off the offensive outburst against Miami, Carolina could make a deep run in the playoffs.

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Panthers midseason superlatives: Transformative moments have marked 7-3 start."