JETS

11/3/2013 4:15:13 PM

1.5 games out of first place with 2 games left to play against the Saints.

11/3/2013 4:22:39 PM

1.0 games

11/3/2013 4:26:37 PM

Yeah I thought the saints hadn't had a bye yet.

11/3/2013 4:31:03 PM

49ers will murder them..

11/3/2013 4:49:42 PM

We got the real live shit from front to back, to the people hating on the Panthers where the fuck you at?

#3 in the NFL baby and seattle's o-line is falling apart.

This is the best Panthers team ever.

Quote :

"Lot of great value on the Panthers at 75:1 to win super bowl and 35:1 to win the NFC. I threw $40 and $80 on them, respectively."

From God's lips to your iPads.

11/3/2013 4:50:21 PM

Quote :

"I like how when cam struggle it's " he's doing too much" but when ryan struggle it's "he's trying his best to pull the franchise through""

Yeah, but to be fair, both of Cam's picks were entirely unnecessary throws and he was not sharp most of the day. Kid bounced back like a champ though, he's looking like the Panthers franchise qb for the next decade at least.

[Edited on November 3, 2013 at 5:41 PM. Reason : posting on phone, outdoors, in Utah = no good]

11/3/2013 5:41:01 PM

Dont know why anyone wants to mark SF and NO as auto-losses. I think they will be good games

11/3/2013 5:48:02 PM

Obviously, 10-6 is our most likely scenario this year. The problem is at 10-6 you're likely to need a tiebreaker to get in.

With the Saints loss today, we really need to capitalize and win the division.

Making the playoffs as the #5 or #6 would be a decent accomplishment considering where the franchise has been the last few years. But it would definitely be an underachievement based on how nasty we are.

It's just going to be too difficult to win three road games that would most likely be @GB, @NO, @SF, or @SEA. That's a murderers row. But the NYG and Balt have done it in recent years.

11/3/2013 6:40:41 PM

This team really has a chance to do something special.

How often are football teams dominant on both sides of the ball at the same time? We are so balanced.

Not to mention the team chemistry which has really grown through the season. You can tell everybody is on the same page and they are really feeding off each others' energy. You had guys running off the sideline after that pick 6 yesterday to get in the celebration with Drayton. I love it.

I full expect them to go out and give the 49ers a hell of a game next sunday.

This is an uncut, 27 min interview with Cam from earlier in the week. If you've got time, I highly recommend watching it. He really shows his progression mentally with his answers. The banana pudding line was lol too.

http://msn.foxsports.com/video/NFL?vid=7e30d8ce-4571-469b-b124-76b6a9b74110

Jake and Smitty hug before the game



gif of cam dodging the whole atl d-line

11/4/2013 8:04:51 AM

We have yet to beat a team with a winning record and the best team we've beat has a total of 3 wins. Sorry if I'm not all-aboard the Panthers to win the division bandwagon.

So far we've beaten all the teams we should beat, lost to 1 team we should have lost to, and we lost in 2 toss-up games. This week will be a huge test for us. SF has played well lately and we're built in a very similar mold, so it should be interesting.

I still think we're pretenders, but I'm coming around. Beating SF and the Patriots would definitely make me more of a believer.

I am definitely believing in our recent drafting though, esp. on defense, our front seven is very impressive and if not for S. Richardson, we'd likely have back-to-back defensive rookie of the years. (Yes I think Starr would win it over Alonso, but Richardson at this point is a lock to win it)

[Edited on November 4, 2013 at 8:16 AM. Reason : .]

11/4/2013 8:16:20 AM

pretenders don't score 30+ points 4 straight weeks while winning those games by an average of 20.5 points

good teams kills bad teams, which is exactly what we've done during this winning streak

11/4/2013 8:41:56 AM

I agree we are playing much better but I want to see how we do against the 49ers, Saints, and Patriots before I start getting too excited. If we had beaten Buffalo and Arizona I might be more of a believer but those arent exactly great teams and we lost to them.

11/4/2013 8:55:29 AM

again, there is beating inferior competition

and there is BEATING inferior competition, which is what we're doing

[Edited on November 4, 2013 at 9:01 AM. Reason : we will probably be top 3 in DVOA after yesterday]

11/4/2013 8:59:43 AM

^ Agreed.

We're putting away these teams in dominating fashion at home and on the road. I don't know what more you can ask for than that. We can't control the schedule.

I hate to refer to the eyball test, but it obvious to me, regardless of who we are playing, that this team is gelling and playing so much better than early in the season.

11/4/2013 9:03:44 AM

I guess had we actually beaten Buffalo and Arizona I'd feel much better about us being a legit playoff team, but the fact that we've only played 3 above-average teams, and we played 2 of them close and got beat easily in the 3rd, all of those games were losses.

Yeah we're playing well against really bad teams the last few weeks, so our numbers/stats are definitely skewed a bit. And I'll agree, if the Panthers keep it up(aside from a couple of bad INT's yesterday) and beat some good teams(49ers, Saints, Pats), then I'll start buying into the playoff contenders.

I'm not saying we're not a pretty good team, but I'm not sold on us being a playoff team just yet. We're definitely benefiting greatly from a really bad NFC this year.

11/4/2013 10:18:22 AM

11/4/2013 12:02:58 PM

I mean, by every objective measure we played like dogshit for 3 quarters, and still beat a division rival by 24 points. That never happens.

[Edited on November 4, 2013 at 12:05 PM. Reason : :]

11/4/2013 12:05:42 PM

Anybody remember we were only up one score to start the 4th?

11/4/2013 12:23:24 PM

they have to make the playoff now...and they wont. everyone is in the wildcard spot it seems

11/4/2013 4:07:27 PM

Ludacris is right. we are beating the shit out of shit. the teams they are beating are losing to everyone.


SF will tell me a lot

11/4/2013 4:24:20 PM

we pretty much need to go 3-1 over the next 4, gotta find a win at SF or vs NE and then take care of TB again and MIA. if we can only muster 2-2, gonna have to split NO and win the rest. and even then 10-6 might not cut it. like I said, that Buffalo game is going to be haunting

11/4/2013 4:25:15 PM

how has this boner inducer not been posted yet?

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9924624/bill-barnwell-week-9

Quote :

"Fear the Panthers How did Carolina manage to maintain such a dominant four-game stretch? Plus, the rest of the worthy news from Week 9. By Bill Barnwell on November 4, 2013 Who had the best second quarter of the NFL season? The Chiefs and the 49ers both went 4-0, and the Packers could add to that list with a win over Chicago tonight, but the team that unquestionably boosted its stock more than any other is the Carolina Panthers. Their 34-10 victory over the Falcons on Sunday marked a fourth consecutive victory for the league's most rapidly improving team, and with the Saints losing for the second time in three weeks, the Panthers are now just one game out of the catbird seat in the NFC South. That's a pretty remarkable turnaround, considering the Panthers were all but left for dead a month ago. After a 22-6 loss to the Cardinals dropped Carolina to 1-3, the vultures were circling around the often-frustrating Panthers. It seemed likely that Ron Rivera was going to be out of a job by the end of the season, if not earlier. Speculation even surrounded the future of Cam Newton, to the point where Rodney Harrison actually suggested during the Sunday Night Football pre-show that the Panthers should bench Newton for Derek Anderson. Since then, the Panthers have won all four of their games, but it's not just that they've won; it's how they've won. Carolina has won those four games by a combined 82 points, vanquishing each opponent by two touchdowns or more in each contest. That's rare. Like, really rare. Like, "I'm going to throw in this table of teams that have outscored opponents by 80 points in a four-game stretch with at least a 14-point margin in each game since 1990, and it's going to set Panthers fans' hearts aflutter" rare: Year Team Point Differential Final Record Playoff Result 2013 Panthers 82 ??? ??? 2013 Broncos 88 ??? ??? 2009 Saints 81 14-2 Won Super Bowl 2009 Colts 96 13-3 Lost Super Bowl 2007 Patriots 104 16-0 Lost Super Bowl 2007 Colts 83 13-3 Lost in AFC playoffs 2005 Colts 81 14-2 Lost in AFC playoffs 2004 Eagles 101 13-3 Lost Super Bowl 2004 Colts 125 12-4 Lost in AFC playoffs 2000 Rams 80 10-6 Lost in NFC playoffs 1999 Rams 106 13-3 Won Super Bowl 1998 Broncos 83 14-2 Won Super Bowl 1994 49ers 103 13-3 Won Super Bowl 1993 49ers 107 10-6 Lost in NFC playoffs 1990 Bills 104 13-3 Lost Super Bowl Now, obviously, the definition of this group is entirely arbitrary, and the Panthers played a pretty easy schedule during the past four weeks; the teams they beat are a combined 6-27 this year. That being said, I could expand the sample and it would still be chock-full of teams that made the playoffs. And teams that have been this dominant over a short stretch are almost always playing a really, really easy schedule; you can't beat good teams by two touchdowns every week. What has changed for the Panthers since that rough start? Well, let's remember their biggest problem at the time: They couldn't win close games. Since the beginning of Newton and Rivera's second season in Carolina, 2012, the Panthers had played 20 games and roughly battled the opposition to a draw, scoring 431 points while allowing 421. In games decided by eight points or more, they were 7-3. In games decided by seven points or fewer, which a team historically will win about 50 percent of the time, the Panthers were 1-9. They were a staggering 2-14 in one-touchdown games since Rivera and Newton had arrived. That's nearly unprecedented."

11/4/2013 4:49:31 PM

continued:

Quote :

"Carolina's solution was, apparently, to stop playing close games. It's no surprise the Panthers' defense has stayed airtight; a group led by star middle linebacker Luke Kuechly allowed only 14.5 points per game during that 1-3 start, while the Panthers' offense was averaging just 18.5 points per contest. The defense has stayed hot, holding the opposition to 12 points per game over this four-game winning streak, but it's the Panthers offense that has risen up. Newton & Co. have scored at least 30 points in each of the last four games, averaging 32.5 points per game during this winning streak. Front and center in that change is Newton. He didn't really have his best game against the Falcons, throwing a pair of interceptions while missing an open receiver here and there, but he also had his fair share of dropped passes, too. In the broader picture, though, he has been brilliant. It's hard to believe the same guy produced these quarter-seasons: Cmp Att Cmp% Yds Yds/Att TD INT Sack Rate Games 1-4 73 127 57.5% 885 7.0 6 5 10.6% Games 5-8 81 112 72.3% 916 8.2 7 2 5.9% Newton's cumulative numbers — 64.4 percent completion percentage, 7.5 yards per attempt, 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions — say the most about where he is as a quarterback right now. Given that his receiving corps is limited at best, and that he offers additional value as a runner, he's an extremely talented, valuable football player. That should have been obvious a month ago, but if it took a four-game winning streak to remind people of how good Cam Newton can be, so be it. I would be remiss if I also didn't mention how aggressive "Riverboat Ron" Rivera has become in short yardage. The turning point for Rivera actually came two weeks earlier, in Week 2, when his Panthers lost yet another close game to the Bills. There, Rivera skipped an opportunity to end the game with a fourth-and-1 conversion, kicking a 39-yard field goal that put his Panthers up six. Just as they did against the Falcons the previous year, Rivera's defense then blew that lead, as EJ Manuel drove the Bills the length of the field for a game-winning touchdown. Some time that night, Rivera snapped. Since then, the Panthers have faced fourth-and-1 six times and gone for it all six times. Those plays have worked out pretty well: * Week 3: Carolina goes for it on fourth-and-1 from the 2-yard line against the Giants in a 0-0 game. Mike Tolbert punches it in for a touchdown. * Week 5: The Panthers go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Arizona 15-yard line late in the second quarter of a 3-3 game. A play-action pass finds a wide-open Brandon LaFell, who drops the pass. * Week 6: In a scoreless game, Tolbert bursts through the line for a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Minnesota 32-yard line to extend a drive … * Week 6: … that ends when the Panthers go for it on fourth-and-1 from the 2-yard line and Newton finds a wide-open Steve Smith off play-action for an easy touchdown. * Week 8: With a 14-6 lead in the third quarter, Tolbert busts through the line on fourth-and-1 from the 20-yard line for another conversion. The Panthers score a touchdown four plays later. * Week 9: Perhaps exorcising his Falcons demons, Rivera goes for it on fourth-and-1 from the 14-yard line with a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. Again going play-action, Newton finds a wide-open Greg Olsen for a touchdown. In summation: That's three touchdowns and two plays continuing drives that would eventually produce touchdowns in six tries. The one failure was a drop that might have resulted in a touchdown itself, if not simply continuing a possible touchdown drive. The three runs have been relatively simple conversions, and the three passes have each produced wide-open receivers. Rivera would be right to go for it in those situations regardless of the outcomes, but he has been rewarded handsomely for his decisions. For all its brilliance over the past four weeks, Carolina's moment of truth is about to arrive. After playing just one team with a record above .500 during the first half, Carolina's schedule is far less welcoming in the second half of the season, and that starts now. The Panthers travel to San Francisco on Sunday to play the 49ers, who have outscored their opposition by 22.6 points per game during their five-game winning streak. After that, they host the Patriots before traveling to Miami. They also still have the home-and-home series with the Saints. Furthermore, the Panthers need to prove that this change in their level of play will stick over time. Can Newton keep his sack rate down and his completion percentage up? Can the defense remain one of the league's most stifling units with a no-name secondary? And, if the Panthers face fourth-and-1 with the option to kick a field goal or punt late in San Francisco, will Rivera keep going for it? There's a lot to like about these Panthers, but there's also still a lot to prove. We'll know a lot more about them four games from now."

11/4/2013 4:51:07 PM

We have the roughest schedule ahead of any of the teams we'll be competing with for the final wild card spot, but we're also the best equipped to deal with it. I think 6-2 would do it for us, which would mean winning all the games we're supposed to win and at least 1 of the games where we won't be. If we don't beat SF this weekend, then that home game against NO becomes a must win.

11/4/2013 5:13:10 PM

I think if we go 6-2, we won't be a wild card team anyway so we won't have to worry about it.

11/4/2013 5:27:54 PM

funny how we have the worst strength of schedule currently, but started the season with the most difficult schedule in the league...somebody should have told playoff teams last year like the falcons and vikings to not suck so bad this year

you know what other teams are in the top-5 of easiest schedules though? Chiefs (8-0), Seahawks (7-1), Broncos (6-1)...you know who has the toughest schedule? the Jags...it's almost as if the good teams mathematically win and decrease their SOS and vice versa!

11/4/2013 8:57:31 PM

just another reason why putting any stock into strength of schedule before the season starts is ridiculous

11/4/2013 9:02:33 PM

well to be fair our SOS has been really weak. 29th headed into this past week to be exact.

But that's completely irrelevant to how good we are.

We're not the 3rd best team in the NFL through eight weeks because we've played bad opponents. We're the 3rd best team in the NFL because we've played better than 29 other teams.

And it'd be easy to make the argument that we're better than Seattle at the current moment. Though, SF may be playing better than us as well.

Bottom line is that if we stay healthy and don't get too unlucky with close losses and other teams getting big wins then we should make the playoffs. We're certainly well over 50/50 at this point.

I mean we are clearly legitimate Super Bowl contenders for the first time since 2008. And we have our best team in franchise history at the moment. For a franchise that has been marred with bad teams and really only been "good" twice in 1996 and 2008... and lucky in 2003. I can see why people think there is grounds for a little excitement here.

And not just because I was wise enough to invest in us to win the Super Bowl at 75:1 odds, NFC at 35:1 odds, division at 6:1 odds, and to win over 8 games.

No, that has nothing to do with it. It has more to do with the fact that I was right and kurtis and the haters crew was so badly wrong.

[Edited on November 4, 2013 at 10:06 PM. Reason : a]

11/4/2013 9:58:53 PM

Yeah the selection committee won't cut us any favors with this SOS.

11/4/2013 10:03:41 PM

http://espn.go.com/nfl/standings/_/type/playoffs/sort/conferenceRank/order/false

lol

11/4/2013 11:55:16 PM

^^ I, too, took some Panthers futures

Got em at +415 to win the division and +195 to make the playoffs

EDIT: Browsing reddit and I saw someone that bet 65k on the 49ers



[Edited on November 5, 2013 at 7:45 AM. Reason : .]

11/5/2013 7:36:37 AM

So if everyone is claiming we need to go "6-2", then I can't see us making it.

On the road against SF coming off a BYE week, then at home against the Pats who just looked great coming off a BYE week...I think over the next 2 we're looking at 2-2, and at best splitting with the Saints.

Perhaps Rodgers getting hurt will open up a wildcard spot for us if he misses significant time and they fall out of the playoff hunt.

11/5/2013 8:44:55 AM

I don't think "everyone" is claiming that. I saw Forte mention it, and then AndyMac said we would win the division at 6-2 so the playoffs wouldn't be a problem.

I'm in the 5-3 camp. That might get us a division winner tiebreak with NO or get a wildcard. Division game winning % is the first tiebreak among wildcard teams which should play heavily in our favor.

Byes aren't necessarily always a good thing either. At this point I'm glad that the panthers bye was early. The last thing I want is an off week to kill the momentum we have right now.

Thinking teams have some huge advantage coming off a bye is an overrated point of view in my opinion. You still have to line up and play football.

[Edited on November 5, 2013 at 9:10 AM. Reason : We're re-signing hangartner today to help the depth at guard too btw]

11/5/2013 9:06:08 AM

You can't always predict how teams will play after the BYE week, but some teams are just historically good following a BYE week.

Belichick has won 9 of his last 10 games following the BYE week. That's really impressive. Add to that it gives Amendola/Gronk/Vereen an extra week to rest/recover and get the offense straight, I don't see how the BYE week will really hurt them. It'll also give them a week to sort out that defense and all the new starters with the injuries.

Harbaugh's is a smaller sample size, only 2 seasons and he's 1-0-1(the game Alex Smith got knocked out and the reign of Kaepernick began). The 49ers were on a bit of a roll momentum wise, esp. Kaep and Gore, and I think Harbaugh is too good of a coach not to have them fired up for a big home game coming out of a bye week.

If we were playing SF at home, I'd like our chances better. Going on the road against one of the top teams in the league that is rested after an off week...that's a tough draw. I'd love for us to split these 2 games, but I just think the deck is stacked a bit against us.

11/5/2013 11:17:37 AM

Up to #3 in DVOA (#10 offense #3 defense #14 ST)

49ers currently sit 6th ( #8 offense #14 defense and #15 ST)

Cardinals #1 in defensive DVOA, which is not surprising to me. That's a tough group.

EDIT: Nice little site I saw on reddit for projecting teams' playoff chances. If you scroll over the Home/Tie/Away for next week it will show you how those projections change against the teams in the playoff race.

http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NFL/NFC/NFCSouth.html

[Edited on November 5, 2013 at 5:54 PM. Reason : .]

11/5/2013 5:33:33 PM

Is it sunday yet?

11/6/2013 2:13:35 PM

Best team in the NFL according to Cold Hard Football Facts.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/stats/2013/10/Overall/

11/6/2013 11:37:46 PM

Monday should be interesting in this thread, haha.

Everyone will be on the bandwagon if we win.

If we lose, the sky will be falling.

11/7/2013 11:04:02 AM

^ I think most people are smart enough to not act like the sky is falling after a loss

anyways

RIVERBOAT RON

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--football-thursday--panthers--success-hinges-on-cam-newton-s-calm-and-ron-rivera-s-newfound-aggression-035909971.html

11/7/2013 11:35:20 AM

Nah, I don't think losing @ SF is gonna cause everybody to meltdown. At least I would hope not.

11/7/2013 11:51:46 AM

^^ I don't think many people are expecting to win Sunday. like I said, it's a feather in the cap if we do. but it's not a "must win", it's a "would be nice if we did win".

as far as needing to go 6-2 the rest of the way, I'm saying that would definitely get us into the playoffs. 5-3 should, and 4-4 could, but we don't want to be log jammed with Detroit, Chicago, Green Bay, SF/Seattle, and possibly Arizona (who we lose a tie break with) and not be able to "control our own destiny", as the cliche goes. I would be overjoyed with 5-3 to close out, but it would suck to get Cleveland Brown'd out of the playoffs on a tiebreak

11/7/2013 11:52:05 AM

Why do I get the feeling that LudaChris would rather be right, than have the Panthers win?

11/7/2013 1:17:42 PM

I'd absolutely love to see the Panthers beat the 49ers and prove, to me at least, that they are a legit playoff contender. I think beating a legit team and riding a 5-game winning streak would do wonders for our players after we've been bad for the last several years.

I really think Cam feeds off of momentum and confidence, and if he's playing at his best, I do believe this team can be a force to be reckoned with.

My post about the differences in opinion, are that it seems several posters are posting various stats showing why we're a top 5 team, and top 3 team in the NFC, and others are(like myself) posting that we're pretenders until we beat someone. (Both sides of the coin have legit arguments/stats to support their side) I was just pointing out how I could see the balance shifting.

If Carolina wins the game, I definitely see people(myself included) starting to believe and shift more towards the side claiming we're legit. But if we went to SF and got blown out, I really think it would shift more the other way.

Personally I think we lose by <10 barring any significant injuries, so I don't think it'll be a huge swell either way, just think this thread could heat up either way, esp. if we were to win.

11/7/2013 1:24:26 PM

people are backing up their arguments with legitimate stats, while others are basing their arguments on conventional wisdom/gut feelings

one of those is not a legitimate argument

[Edited on November 7, 2013 at 2:16 PM. Reason : autocorrect fail]

11/7/2013 2:12:51 PM

^No the side saying they're "pretenders" have pointed out the strength of schedule, the fact we've lost to every average or above-average team we've played, and that our defense hasn't faced an above-average offense on the season(thus have put up great stats).

The side saying we're "contenders" are the ones pointing out stats that do show that we're currently ranked really high on some scales/rankings/stats.

But at the same time the other side if acknowledging these stats/ratings but pointing out the stats are skewed because we've beaten bad teams by large margins. I'd say both sides have legit arguments, at least I can definitely see both sides. I really think if we beat SF, or the Patriots, that people will shift to the "contenders" side. But it's not hard to understand why people wouldn't get too optimistic until we beat someone with a winning record(haven't done that all season).

11/7/2013 3:04:26 PM

The Panthers are a good, possibly great, team and legitimate playoff contenders. Nothing that happens this weekend will change that, short of Cam's ACL spontaneously disintegrating.

11/7/2013 3:08:58 PM

^^ advanced metrics take into account the quality of teams played

and it's waaay more than "we lost to average to above-average teams", considering the way we lost those games and the way Rivera has very obviously changed his philosophy because of those games

11/7/2013 3:12:54 PM

The Rams were an "average" team when we played them. They aren't now that Bradford is gone but they clearly were then.

11/7/2013 3:56:22 PM

Dallas barely beat the shitty Vikings last week.

The mighty Seahawks barely beat the Rams. They barely beat the Bucs. A couple of the shitty teams that the Panthers blew out.

Seattle's "only win over a good team" was San Fran, yet people (rightfully) say Seattle is arguably the best team in the NFC. Sure, they made the playoffs last year, so they earned it, but they struggled with some of the same opponents that the Panthers blew out over the last 4 weeks. And yeah, Seattle beat the Panthers head to head, but I think the Panthers are playing and coaching a lot better football than week 1.

How come the Panthers get penalized for blowing out shitty teams, when some of the great playoff teams like the Seahawks just get the "boy they're so good, they just figure out a way to win" when they squeak by shitty teams?

[Edited on November 7, 2013 at 4:36 PM. Reason : .]

11/7/2013 4:35:21 PM