News and Events

1. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had his best statistical season in 2015 and led his team to Super Bowl L. Since that season, Newton has struggled to keep his consistency in the passing game, but has doubled his run production from last year. 

Passing:

Rushing:

2. Panthers rookie running back Christian McCaffrey has  averaged 27.2 yards rushing and 40.7 yards receiving per game this season. He had his top rushing game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 when he rushed for 66 yards. McCaffrey had his best receiving game in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, when he had 101 yards on nine receptions.

3. Against the Falcons, the Carolina offense had its worst offensive performance since Oct. 22 against the Chicago Bears. Newton began the game 0 for 8 passing and ended the game 14 of 34 for 180 yards, with three interceptions. Carolina totaled 181 passing yards and 87 rushing yards, 59 of them coming from Newton.

4. Greg Olsen, Carolina’s star tight end and three-time Pro Bowl participant, has been battling a foot injury throughout the season. Olsen has missed eight games due to resurfacing complications with the injury, and has failed to perform as well as in past years. This season, Olsen has 17 receptions for 191 yards. Olsen had nine receptions and 181 yards in a single game against Tampa Bay last season.

5. Linebacker Luke Kuechly ranks in the top 10 in tackles among linebackers with 125. He has eight pass deflections, three interceptions, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries this season. Kuechly is known in the NFC South for his ability to read the offense and his leadership abilities to get the rest of the defense on the same page. "He is the best that we’ve gone against," Bucs Coach Dirk Koetter said. ”... He knows your tendencies.”

6. Running back Jonathan Stewart was inactive against the Falcons due to low back tightness. Stewart played in 15 games this season, his most since 2011. He finished the regular season with a career-low yards-per-carry average (3.4) and 680 rushing yards, his fewest for a season in which he played 10 games or more. Despite his average, Stewart ranks No. 30 in average yards among running backs per game and is the top rusher on the team behind Newton. 

7. Trai Turner, right guard for the Panthers and two time Pro Bowler out of LSU, has been out for the last three games due to a concussion. Turner entered the concussion protocol following the Week 14 game against the Minnesota Vikings. His status is worth keeping an eye on for the NFC wild-card game.

8. The Panthers have proved to be thin at the receiver position. With Olsen receiving limited snaps and nursing an injury, Newton’s options have been scarce. Carolina has four active receivers: Mose Frazier, Kaelin Clay, Russell Shepard, and Devin Funchess. Shepard, an LSU product,  hasn’t played in the last four games but has 17 receptions and 202 yards. Clay has recorded five receptions for 57 yards, and Frazier hasn’t recorded any stats after coming up from the practice squad in the Week 16. This leaves Funchess. He is No. 27 among the NFL’s top 50 pass-catchers. Funchess has 63 catches for 840 yards, which is four yards shy of the total number of yards he’s totaled in the previous two years combined.

9. Carolina ranks No. 7 in total defense. The Panthers allow 317.2 yards a game, 88.1 of those yards come from rushing, and 229.1 of those yards come from passing. Defensively, Carolina ranks in the top 10 in six categories.

Total yards per game	7
Rushing yards per game	3
Sacks per pass play	3
First downs per game	6t
Fourth down efficiency	10
Punt return average	8

10. Carolina is No. 12 in the NFC, and No. 19 in the NFL, for total offense. Carolina has rushed for a total of 2,102 yards, and passed for 3,077. Keep in mind Newton is responsible for 3,043 passing yards (losses on sacks included), and 754 rushing yards (nearly one-third of the teams total rushing yards).