Off to a very hot 4-0 start, these Panthers just could be contenders

by Ljdubzero | 7 years ago | 0 Comments

Here we are at Week 5 and the Panthers are still undefeated after their first 4 games. Strong performances on the ground in week 1 and 2 made for an exciting first couple of games with Christian McCaffrey rushing for 565 and 5 TD’s before going down in the 2nd half of game 2. Even with an injured McCaffrey the Panthers continued to look like world leaders with 4 victories by at least 18 points. After beating the Bucs 35-17 on the road the Panthers came off of a bye and crushed the struggling reigning AFC champs, the Browns. The defense is forcing turnovers at a good rate while the offense is doing a great job of protecting the ball. The Panthers also have many of their young rookies, 2nd  and 3rd year guys playing at a high level including their 3rd round pick FS Sean Evans with 9 solo tackles, 5 ints, a sack and 4 deflections in his first 4 NFL games. The 2nd year DE Trey Hendrickson is also playing at a high level through the first 4 games with 13 tackles, 7 sacks, FF and a INT. Early on, this Panthers team looks primed to contend. Let’s see how the next few games go before we make that leap though after a disappointing finish left the team out of the playoffs last season, it gives us cause to pause.