Panthers Win Third in a Row

Source: Bellingham Herald

Patience is finally paying off for the Panthers faithful, as the team defeated Tampa Bay 31-13 to improve to 4-3 on the season, marking the first time that they have held a winning record since the end of the 2008 season. Yes, it's been a long time, but the Carolina Panthers are finally relevant again.

The Bucs (0-7) never really had a chance in the Thursday night showdown, with Mike Glennon starting at QB, Doug Martin injured, and the team's entire season spiraling out of control. The Panthers played solid football from start to finish, led by another extremely efficient game from Cam Newton.

Source: USA Today

Newton has now thrown for 667 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions over Carolina's last three games, and the team is undefeated during that stretch. The mobile young quarterback finished with 221 yards and two touchdowns through the air, adding another 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

The Panthers league-best defense was once again outstanding, allowing just 49 rushing yards and 297 total yards to the Buccaneers.

Head coach Ron Rivera has earned himself the nickname "Riverboat Ron" with his suddenly incredibly aggressive decisions, and it's no coincidence that the Panthers have been winning behind his new mentality. Offensive coordinator Mike Shula has also left his conservative shell and dared to throw the ball when the team gets a lead, and it has paid off in a big way. Shula seems to finally understand Newton's talents, and his play calling has been spot on over the past three weeks.

Next up for the Panthers is a home date with division rival Atlanta (2-5).

Panthers Throttle Rams

Disclaimer: So I am very sorry for not putting up any posts about the loss to Arizona or the win against Minnesota, I have been a little bit busy recently.

The Carolina Panthers (3-3) continue to beat the bad teams and fall to the good ones after their 30-15 week 7 victory against the St. Louis Rams (3-4). The Panthers defense came flying out of the gates, with cornerback Captain Munnerlyn intercepting Sam Bradford's very first pass and taking it back 45 yards for a touchdown to set the tone for the rest of the game.

Bradford would tear his left ACL after being shoved out of bounds on a scramble in the fourth quarter, and the Rams have put him on season ending injured reserve.

Source: SB Nation

Watching the game, a casual viewer would think they were watching a gritty divisional match up between two bitter rivals. In an extremely chippy game, St. Louis accumulated five personal foul penalties and defensive end Chris Long was ejected from the game for throwing a punch during a brawl between more than a dozen players. Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith and St. Louis cornerback Janoris Jenkins exchanged insults throughout the game and got into repeated shoving matches along the sidelines. Smith would get the better of Jenkins, however, finishing with five receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Source: USA Today

Cam Newton turned in a second consecutive quality start, completing 15 of 17 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. Over his past two games, Newton is now 35 of 43 for 464 yards with four touchdowns and zero turnovers. When Newton produces efficient games and does not turn the ball over, the Panthers are able to rely on third ranked defense and pick up wins. The team has demonstrated this ability over the last two weeks, defeating the Vikings 35-10 last week and the Rams 30-15 this week.

Credit Mike Shula for remaining aggressive despite the Panther's decent lead. Over the first few weeks of the season, Shula had a tendency to go uber-conservative when the Panthers took a lead, a habit he seems to be breaking. Additionally, Ron Rivera continues to show his new gutsy style of coaching, a far cry from his former conservative style. Over the past two years, Rivera would almost always choose to play it safe when given the opportunity, and his gutsy calls always seemed to be poorly timed, leading many to question his game managing abilities. However, over the last two weeks Rivera has made unusually aggressive decisions, and it is no coincidence that his team has won both of those games. Last week against Minnesota, the head coach elected to go for it on fourth-and-one twice on Carolina's opening drive, giving the Panthers a confidence booster that lasted them for the rest of the game.

If the team can continue to turn in efficient performances like these last two, Carolina could be a surprise playoff contender late in the season.

The Panthers will face Tampa Bay (0-6) in a Thursday night battle in week 8.