Carolina Panthers: perfect storm?

[RebelliousHog]

I started thinking about the Pants and their undefeated season( and likely to finish regular season the same way)

Here is the records of the teams they have played, not counting today.
Jacksonville  5-9
Texas          7-7
New Orleans  5-9
Tampa Bay    6-8
Seattle         9-5
Philadelphia   6-9
Indianapolis   6-8
Green Bay     10-4
Tennessee     3-11
Washington    8-7
Dallas            4-10
Atlanta          7-7
New York G    6-8

That's a combined  84-102(check my math-did it in my head)
Of the games they've played  3 were against a team better than .500. THREE.

They had the "perfect storm" of scheduling this year. Playing the NFC south who all suck, the NFC East, who ALSO all suck, and the AFC South who suck too. That's 14 teams who have ONE with a winning record.

I suspect the playoffs against  Seattle again (who are HOT) or the Cards, and maybe GB, if they play well and have everyone back off IR will be different. AND  IF they make the SB they will play  the Pats or  maybe the Bengals if they get Dalton back.

I would be surprised if they win it all.  I, frankly , would be surprised if they get to the SB.

[bennyl08]

True, but what happens if Carolina sucked and was 0-14? Then the record of their opponents would be 98-88.

No doubt that they have had a favorable schedule. However, you have to take into account that the teams they played may look bad because they went against a good team. If you remove Carolina's impact from the combined record, you get 84-88. So yes, they are still sub-500 and lucky there but it isn't as bad.

With Carolina's impact you have 8 teams with losing records, 2 teams at 500, and 3 teams with winning records. However, if you replace Carolina with a team that was 0-14, you get 5 teams with losing records, 3 teams at 500, and 5 teams with winning records.

So, to make a short story long, they have had a favorable schedule, but not a perfect storm level of favorability.

[RebelliousHog]

As it turns out the storm had a lull and they got beat by Atlanta.

[RebelliousHog]

You can speculate about what COULD have happened, but the reality is what DID happen. They got the advantage of a really easy schedule. So all the chest pumping  and baby kissing makes them look like asses.

[bennyl08]

You can speculate about what COULD have happened, but the reality is what DID happen. They got the advantage of a really easy schedule. So all the chest pumping  and baby kissing makes them look like asses.

https://www.fantasyindex.com/2015/12/15/scheduletron/updated-strength-of-schedule

Even without factoring out Carolina's impact, their schedule isn't "really easy". Cardinals have had a much easier schedule and the Jets have faced the easiest schedule of them all. Playoff teams with SoS below .500 include GB, Cincy, Carolina, Arizona, and the Jets. Minn and Denver are both at .500.

The only playoff teams with opponents over 500 are Hou/Indy, Seattle, NE, Was, and KC

So, a majority of teams that are going to be in the playoffs had a SoS at or below .500 while a minority are over. So, it is actually perfectly balanced.

Baby kissing makes you look like a (censored)? By that I think you mean handing footballs to kids. Next thing you are going to complain about visiting hospitals as showboating. SMH.

[RebelliousHog]

Baby kissing as in pretending to rock a baby and showboating. Giving balls to kids is fine. Acting like an ass is not.

Really and truly the NFL on a whole has all tried to be 8-8 as a league. Outside of the Cards, Pats, Pants,  the whole league has proven the theory of parity.

[RebelliousHog]

Don't try to lay a guilt trip on me. There's very little i feel guilty about. Ragging Scam Newton certainly won't be one.

If you don't agree,fine. Don't play amateur therapist.

[bennyl08]

Don't try to lay a guilt trip on me. There's very little i feel guilty about. Ragging Scam Newton certainly won't be one.

If you don't agree,fine. Don't play amateur therapist.

Where did anybody play therapist? Simma down. I already said I assumed you were talking about handing the football to kids. Further, why feel the need to post twice? Could you not have simply included that in your earlier post or if you thought of it later, why not simply edit the first post? It is strange to me to make two posts within two minutes referring back to the same post.

To the point though, these are grown men who play a childs game for millions of dollars. Imagine the excitement a kid gets when they get first place in mario kart. Now imagine that that they just won a million dollars for that victory and probably get a 20k bonus every time they hit somebody with a green shell or a banana peel. Each sack you get a bonus for what many full time workers make in a year, people are going to celebrate. The game is supposed to be fun.

[DeltaBoy]

17-1 and playing in the Super Bowl , so They are doing alright.

[bennyl08]

I suspect the playoffs against  Seattle again (who are HOT) or the Cards, and maybe GB, if they play well and have everyone back off IR will be different. AND  IF they make the SB they will play  the Pats or  maybe the Bengals if they get Dalton back.

I would be surprised if they win it all.  I, frankly , would be surprised if they get to the SB.

They absolutely blew the Cards and the Seahawks out of the water on the way to the Super Bowl. I take it you are surprised.

[Deep Shoat]

17-1 and playing in the Super Bowl , so They are doing alright.

They are paying Cam more than Auburn did...

[pigture perfect]

These guys remind me of the 85 Bears, without the Super Bowl Shuffle.

[Dr. Starcs]

They absolutely blew the Cards and the Seahawks out of the water on the way to the Super Bowl. I take it you are surprised.

Lol

[pigture perfect]

The Perfect Storm turned into intermittent showers.

[Hambunctious]

It threatened rain here, but it only turned out to be cloudy, and little windy.  The real weather showed up after the game, and that nasty little cloud that used to follow Eeyore took up residence over Cam.

[1highhog]

I loved every minute of it.

[goodguytex]

I loved every minute of it.

So did I. I wanted to hand Scam a box of Kleenex.

[DeltaBoy]

On paper Cam team should have won but the games are played on the Field and Last Night the Peyton's Team just out played them and took advantage of the Panthers mistakes.

[passinghog]

1-53, Denver was the more talented roster. Carolina's D vs. Denver's O (on paper) was more of a contest than Denver's D vs. Carolina's O. Peyton throwing the game away and Cam carrying his offense were the only ways Carolina would have won. If you take Cam out of the equation, Denver's D vs. Carolina's O was a total mismatch on paper alone and that played out in the game. Denver had an all star defense with no weaknesses. They had 8 guys on defense that could start for any team in the NFL.

[bennyl08]

1-53, Denver was the more talented roster. Carolina's D vs. Denver's O (on paper) was more of a contest than Denver's D vs. Carolina's O. Peyton throwing the game away and Cam carrying his offense were the only ways Carolina would have won. If you take Cam out of the equation, Denver's D vs. Carolina's O was a total mismatch on paper alone and that played out in the game. Denver had an all star defense with no weaknesses. They had 8 guys on defense that could start for any team in the NFL.

Yeah, people forget how much the Panthers over achieved this season. Nobody had them pegged to even be a threat in the NFC south after Benji went down for the year. Coming into the season it was Cam, an aging Olsen and Stewart, no OL, A really good front 7 but a patchwork secondary.