Carolina will make the playoffs. I have given away one of the wild card slots in the NFC to this team who will finish just behind the Falcons and just ahead of the Bucs. They have Christian Mccaffrey, and that is the piece that makes all of this possible. I have read that Ron Rivera has a plan to get Cam Newton to run less, and I think that is because Christian McCaffrey will run more. In fact, I think that he can run and catch so much that he could have a magical season as a rookie.
1000 yards of both
I really think that Christian McCaffrey can run and catch for 1000 yards.
Please be advised that I think he will have exactly 1000 of each. If you have a 16-game schedule, you have more than enough time to break off a few little plays every game that will add up to 1000. That means that you are consistent, and I think that McCaffrey will be consistent because he is the reason that Cam Newton will be running less. As I have said before, the Panthers will turn McCaffrey into their best option. He will be there for dump off passes, and he will run the ball 25 times a game.
Ron Rivera
Ron Rivera seems to have this same sort of plan in mind. I do not think that he is coaching for his job, but many think that he will be on the hot seat if the team is not good this season.
He knows that the Panthers need to go back to looking as good as they did when they went to the Super Bowl. Experts think that he can make that happen because the team has been hoping to improve their defense, and that is what we must watch going forward. A decent defense in Carolina is more than enough to help them improve.
Losing to the Falcons
Many think the Panthers will lose twice to the Falcons, and I think that they will make up for that by splitting their season meetings with the Bucs. The Bucs will be right on their heels to win the division, but the Panthers will ultimately have enough wins to barely eclipse Tampa at the end of the season.
Two teams making the playoffs from the NFC South is not shocking, but I bet a lot of people think that it will be Tampa. I am choosing the Panthers because of their new running back from Stanford. He could lead the NFL in total yards, and he could be the MVP and the rookie of the year.
The NFC South will be rough as it is
Pundits think that the Falcons will have a worse record as they win the division, and they will be very close to the Panthers who will be in second. The Bucs will be in third, and that leaves the Saints to straggle behind because they do not have Christian McCaffrey on their roster.
