Record: 12-4
Playoffs: Lost in Divisonal round to San Francisco 49ers after first-round bye
Head coach: Ron Rivera
Notable assistants: Sean McDermott (defensive coordinator), Mike Shula (offensive coordinator), Ken Dorsey (quarterbacks coach)
Regular Season Overview
After the first five weeks of the regular season, no one would have predicted that the Panthers would have been a first-round bye in the NFC for the playoffs. They started out 1-3, losing to the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. Since the Week 5 loss to the Cardinals, Carolina only lost one other time, in Week 14 to the New Orleans Saints. Cam Newton and the rest of the team went on a tear, winning eight games in a row, including big wins over the 49ers in Week 10 and the New England Patriots in Week 11.
The offense was solid all year but never great, as the Panthers were carried all year by their defense, which finished second in the NFL in rushing in the regular season and sixth in passing defense. The Seahawks were the only team in the league that allowed less points per game than Carolina. It was unfortunate that the Panthers lost in the playoffs to San Francisco after such a strong regular season, but their team is so young that Rivera and Newton should go into the offseason feeling great about what they can do next season.
Biggest Win
Despite the eight-game winning streak, it still looked like after Week 15 that the Panthers would be a Wild Card team in the NFC. That was until the Panthers welcomed the New Orleans Saints into Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 22. It was no secret that the Saints weren’t the same team on the road as they were at home, but the Panthers still came up with a huge 17-13 win.
The Panthers defense picked Drew Brees off twice and, which ended up being the two biggest plays of the game, and they sacked him six times. Newton didn’t put up huge numbers, but everyone will remember the five-pay, 65-yard drive that he manufactured with just 55 seconds left in the game. That drive ended up sealing the game for the Panthers, and inevitably gave the Panthers the lead in the NFC South and a first-round bye.
Toughest Loss
We could sit here all day and talk about how good Carolina’s defense was this season and how high their ceiling is for the future, but the players are going to remember their loss to San Francisco in the playoffs. It is tough to pinpoint one thing in the Divisional round matchup that went wrong for the Panthers in that game, but that’s because the 49ers completely out-played them. Newton had 267 yards and one touchdown, but he threw two interceptions and Steve Smith wasn’t himself after halftime. What really killed Carolina was their poor rushing game, with Newton leading the team with 54 yards, and DeAngelo Williams being held ot only 13 yards. A loss is almost worse when you can’t say that one thing cost you the game, and the Panthers really did just get out-played in this game.
Offensive MVP: Cam Newton
Newton was never stellar in the passing game this season, but he did everything just good enough to get Carolina to where they wanted to be this season. Newton finished the season with the highest completion percentage of his career (61.7), and he had 24 touchdowns, the highest total of his three-year career with the Panthers. His rushing totals did drop off, but he still finished first among quarterbacks in rushing yards and he tied Geno Smith for rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks with six. All things considered, Newton did all he could with the offensive personnel given to him by the coaching staff.
Defensive MVP: Luke Kuechly
The man was the AP defensive player of the year, so why would anyone else get the honor on his own team? In only his second year in the league, Kuechly had 156 combined tackles, two sacks and four interceptions. Kuechly was the leader of the second-best defense in the league, and that pretty much ends any other arguments for another playing getting this “honor.”
Most Disappointing Players: DeAngelo Williams
Steve Smith makes a compelling argument for this one, but he was hurt periodically throughout the season. Williams played in 15 games, and managed to have yet another DeAngelo Williams-like year. Jonathan Stewart missed the majority of the season, so the Panthers needed Williams to step up and be the top back on this team.
He didn’t. Williams finished with his lowest yards per carry average since the 2010 season when he played in just six years, and he only scored four total touchdowns.
Williams was more active in the passing attack this year than any before in his career, but this season showed that Williams is on the downside of his career.
Best Rookie: Star Lotulelei
Heading into the 2013 draft, Carolina’s biggest position of need was defensive tackle. They solved that problem pretty quickly by drafting Lotuleli and Kawaan Short in the second round, but Lotulelei had the better year. The fourteenth overall pick in the draft, Lotulelei often forced teams to commit two offensive lineman to blocking him, and he still picked up 42 combined tackles and three sacks.
Statistical Leaders
QB: Cam Newton- 61.7 completion percentage, 3,379 yards, 24 touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns
RB: DeAngelo Williams- 201 carries, 843 yards, three touchdowns
WR: Steve Smith- 64 receptions, 745 yards, four touchdowns
TE: Greg Olsen- 73 receptions, 816 yards, six touchdowns
Tackles: Luke Kuechly- 156
Sacks: Greg Hardy- 15
INTs: Kuechly and Mike Mitchell- 4