The Carolina Panthers' 2014 season was one of wild ups and downs. Sitting at 3-8-1 following a Week 13 loss to the Vikings, it looked like house-cleaning time. Ron Rivera would be fired, Dave Gettleman's seat may warm, and even Cam Newton's status as a franchise quarterback could be called into question.
Five straight wins later, the Panthers had not only taken an NFC South championship but had also advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs. The run would end following a firm backhanding by the Seahawks, yet it was more than enough to keep everyone around in 2015.
That said, being around isn't the same as proving your long-term worth. Newton is heading into the final year of his contract without an extension in sight. Rivera got his extension before the 2014 season, but it only runs through 2017; the buyout shrinks by the passing year. Gettleman, finally somewhat free to spend money this offseason, no longer has the crutch of Marty Hurney's cap incompetence to fall back on.
Carolina signed depth across its roster, re-signed Greg Olsen to a long-term deal and worked on retaining a number of other key contributors. With the South division still wide open, there is plenty of reason to believe the Panthers should compete for a third straight title.
Let's take a look at their schedule and assess how realistic that goal is.
Schedule
| 2015 Carolina Panthers Regular-Season Schedule | ||||
| 1 | Sept. 13 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 2 | Sept. 20 | vs. Houston Texans | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 3 | Sept. 27 | vs. New Orleans Saints | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 4 | Oct. 4 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 5 | Bye Week | |||
| 6 | Oct. 18 | at Seattle Seahawks | 4:05 p.m. | Fox |
| 7 | Oct. 25 | vs. Philadelphia Eagles | 8:30 p.m. | NBC |
| 8 | Nov. 2 | vs. Indianapolis Colts | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| 9 | Nov. 8 | vs. Green Bay Packers | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 10 | Nov. 15 | at Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 11 | Nov. 22 | vs. Washington | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 12 | Nov. 26 | at Dallas Cowboys | 4:30 p.m. | CBS |
| 13 | Dec. 6 | at New Orleans Saints | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 14 | Dec. 13 | vs. Atlanta Falcons | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 15 | Dec. 20 | at New York Giants | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 16 | Dec. 27 | at Atlanta Falcons | 1 p.m. | Fox |
| 17 | Jan. 3 | vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 p.m. | Fox |
Analysis
Like every other NFC South team, Carolina's schedule will rank among the "easiest" on paper. However, that's in large part because the NFC South gets the pleasure of playing six games against intradivisional opponents. A division that combined for 22 wins is never exactly going to look like it's playing a gauntlet the following season.
The Panthers' divisional victory, though, does give them the distinction of receiving the most difficult trek among their contemporaries. Non-common games against the Seahawks and Packers can probably be marked at losses—or at least games where Carolina will be a heavy underdog. Given the way Seattle has thwarted Newton at every turn in their head-to-head matchups, the scheduled trip to CenturyLink probably sounds like torture.
Carolina also gets the unfortunate luck of the draw of having to play Dallas on the road, with Philadelphia and Washington making the trip in their NFC East matchups. Said trip to Dallas will mark the first time former Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will get to go one-on-one with the teammates who supported him amid a tumultuous 2014.
The script does flip when it comes to the AFC South, though, as the Panthers get to host Indianapolis and Houston while taking much breezier trips to Jacksonville and Tennessee. While the Jaguars and Titans have become synonymous with easy street, Jacksonville in particular is on the cusp of building a nice young core. It might not be playoff-worthy yet, but that trip may be more difficult than it sounds now.
That said, it's very hard to complain about this outlook if you're a Carolina fan. Going against Green Bay and Seattle is an unfortunate byproduct of winning a division; everyone knew this was coming. Nabbing the good fortune of taking on both top AFC South teams should help offset the Packers-Seahawks twosome and keep the Panthers in divisional contention.
Pivotal Matchups
The Panthers learned this lesson last season: Just be better than your divisional rivals and everything will be perfectly hunky-dory. Seven teams in 2014 had better records than Carolina and did not make the playoffs. One coach even got fired (Jim Harbaugh) in part as a result.
The NFC South was a dumpster fire of epic proportions that just so happened to send out a team that won a playoff game. It's a good thing for Carolina that the division doesn't look all that much better heading into 2015.
New Orleans has spent its offseason dumping stars and salary to get out of its cap nightmare. Jimmy Graham will now haunt the Panthers once in Seattle rather than twice every season. Atlanta hired Dan Quinn away from the Seahawks to help revamp its defense, but hiring a talented coach does not automatically make a roster talented. Tampa Bay will be rebuilding around a new quarterback and is probably a year away from serious playoff contention.
The Panthers were 4-2 last year against the NFC South and 3-6-1 against everyone else. A losing record probably isn't winning the division two years in a row, but if they can even so much as get to 5-4 in non-divisional games, they'll have a chance. Chalk up wins against the Jaguars and Titans on the road and Washington at home; that leaves only two more wins among the six remaining contests.
The goal here is simple: Take care of business within the division, win games you're supposed to win and hope a few breaks go your way. Do all of that and you might wind up at 9-7 or 10-6 with another division championship.
