The cream rises to the top.... It's a two horse race in the South {old thread}

I wasn't sold on the Panthers, just because they have a "new-look" offense that is actually the old look of having him run more, and teams haven't adjusted yet. Newton is only passing for 219 yards per game in a season when offense is exploding all over the place. Their defense, honestly, is still aging and not all that good -- ranked in the 20's in points per game allowed and opponent passer rating, despite a +7 in turnovers -- but nobody really notices because we expect their defense to be good after so many years.

Still, Rivera is a fine coach, and I would not read too much into a Thursday night road loss against an AFC team you see once every four years, even if it's a blowout. They're not as good as the Saints right now, but they're not 30 points worse by any stretch.