The early-morning fire alarm at the team hotel didn’t fluster the Carolina Panthers Sunday, and now an alert is going out to the rest of the NFL.
The Panthers are for real.
Wins over the Jaguars, Texans, Saints and Buccaneers were nice, but none of those teams have a winning record. On Sunday, however, the Panthers became just the third team to win at Seattle since 2012, rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat the Seahawks 27-23.
The Seahawks entered Sunday’s game 28-2 at home in the Russell Wilson Era. It takes a good team to send The 12th Man home unhappy. The Cowboys did it last year and they reached the divisional round of the playoffs. The Cardinals did it in 2013. They missed the playoffs despite a 10-6 record.
This is a showpiece win for the Panthers (5-0) even if the Seahawks defense isn’t as frightening as it used to be.
Bengals, Broncos, Patriots, Packers, Panthers all unbeaten: Five undefeated teams entering Week 7 will be the most since 1970 Merger.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 19, 2015
Cam Newton registered his first fourth-quarter comeback of the year, ninth of his career. The Panthers trailed 23-14 and Newton drove them 80 yards twice. Jonathan Stewart’s 1-yard touchdown run narrowed the Seahawks’ lead to 23-20 with 3:58 left. Then with 36 seconds left Newton found tight end Greg Olsen for a 26-yard touchdown.
Olsen caught seven passes for 131 yards. Jonathan Stewart rushed for 78 yards on 20 carries and Newton added 30 yards on seven carries.
The Panthers are tied for third in the NFL with 132.8 rushing yards per game. Newton has a lot to do with that. He leads all quarterbacks with 225 rushing yards. Stewart leads the team with 298 rushing yards. That ability to move the ball on the ground will come in handy when field conditions are less than ideal in December and January.
Cornerback Josh Norman is tied for the league lead with four interceptions. As a team, the Panthers are tied for third with eight interceptions. That puts them in elite company. Of the five teams with eight or more picks, three are unbeaten (Panthers, Broncos and Packers), one has one loss (Jets) and the other leads its division (Cardinals).
The Panthers got away with two turnovers Sunday while not forcing any, but still are tied for the league lead with a plus-6 turnover differential. They’ve done it without the heart of their defense, Luke Kuechly, for three of their five games. Kuechly returned Sunday from a concussion.
To be honest @Panthers, a mere apology might not be enough. I might have to do the “Superman” as a special tribute. LOL
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 19, 2015
Now the Panthers have a three-game homestand against the Eagles, Colts and Packers. That Week 9 game against Green Bay is shaping up as an epic midseason showdown.
After that the Panthers play three of their next four on the road, but none of those opponents have winning records. Two of their final four games are against the Falcons, who at 5-1 are just a half-game behind them in the NFC South. Those games likely will decide the division.
The Panthers did their dirty work winning at Seattle on Sunday. If they can take care of business against inferior competition and avoid looking ahead to those games against the Packers and Falcons, they could be a formidable foe in January.