The Panthers Will Win the NFC South and at Least One Playoff Game

Prior to 2014, no team had won back-to-back NFC South championships. But that changed when the Panthers won three straight NFC South titles from 2013-2015.

Since then, the Falcons and New Orleans Saints have ruled the NFC South (winning division titles in 2016 and 2017, respectively), with Carolina missing the playoffs in 2016 and settling for a wild-card berth in 2017. But that will change in 2018.

Propelled by a 3-1 start, the Panthers will ride that momentum throughout the rest of the regular season and enter the playoffs as the NFC South champions once again. Since the division was established in 2002, they have won a record five NFC South titles, and they’ll make it six this year.

Once January arrives, the Panthers will do something else they haven’t done since 2015: win a playoff game. I like them to reach at least the NFC championship game, and if they are one of the conference’s top two seeds, all they will need is one playoff win to advance that far.

It won’t be easy given that the NFC South is arguably the toughest division in football. For one thing, it is the league’s only division with three former MVPs (Cam Newton, Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan). In addition, the NFC South is also home to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad that finished 5-11 and lost seven games by seven points or fewer in 2017.

Despite all the competition they will face, the Panthers will overcome the odds and yet again reign as NFC South champs in 2018.