The versatility of Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrery make the Panthers the most underrated playoff team
Brickwallblitz
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Through eight games of the 2017 season the Panthers were 5-3, but they were in rough shape. Only putting up 18.5 points per game, the team had to make some kind of move if they wanted to guarantee a stay in the NFC playoff hunt.
They didn’t really add anyone, but after week 8, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was traded to the Bills for a third and seventh round pick in 2018. You’d think nothing would change – in fact things in theory should’ve gotten worse, right?
Wrong. Since the Benjamin trade, the Panthers have been 6-1, clinching a playoff spot in the process. The big change in the second half of the season has been the offense; With Benjamin gone, the Panthers are putting up 29.3 points per game as opposed to 18.5 before the trade. The turnaround from 6-10 in 2016 to 11-4 in 2017 with a game left is extremely impressive, especially in a loaded NFC.
While it might seem foolish to pinpoint the success of a team based on the absence of one player, the trade actually gave the Panthers addition by subtraction. Despite some gaudy stats, Benjamin was an anchor to the Panthers offense. He’s a big, tall receiver, but size means nothing without physical ability. Benjamin was a slow route runner in Carolina, often running the wrong one entirely and failing to box out or create a frame or margin of error for his quarterback.
Add that he had drop issues and failed to create separation, you got an easy situation for the Panthers front office. But with an otherwise identical passing offense since, how has Carolina’s offense caught fire since the trade?
For one thing, quarterback Cam Newton’s rushing ability has been more of a focus in the last seven games. After eight games, Newton had 60 rushes for only 255 yards, resulting 31.9 yards per game. In his last seven games, Newton has 68 rushes for 440 yards, resulting in 62.9 yards per game. His attempts per game also increased, going from 7.5 in his first eight games to 9.7 in his last seven.
The Panthers are lacking in wide receivers, but the ones they have at least play with more speed and create more separation than what they had with Benjamin. The increase in speed has allowed the team to run a more comfortable style of offense, putting increased attention on shorter throws and less on throwing to tight windows on vertical passes. The return of Greg Olsen also helps; Even in his early 30s’ Olsen is still a top 10 tight end that can create separation and provides value as a possession receiver.
With injuries to Curtis Samuel and Damiere Byrd though, many are skeptical of the Panthers making a playoff run, but there are two big reasons that suggest why they could.
Cam Newton.
Christian McCaffrey.
Drafted in the first round of the 2017 draft, McCaffrey has been in the shadows of fellow rookies Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara, but hasn’t been any less spectacular. He’s been almost exclusively known as a receiving back, but has over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in his rookie season. He is quick in all phases of football, and his raw speed, sublime route running and ball skills make him the dream draft pick the Panthers have been waiting for.
Make no mistake, McCaffrey is already a phenomenal player.
Cam Newton is also an excellent player. The 2015 MVP is the best running quarterback in the league; His intelligence and speed as a runner give him an edge most quarterbacks don’t have. His passing ability is extremely underrated; He’s a precise tight window passer, and his peak arm strength is extremely quick and allows him to explore throws most passers wouldn’t even consider. Add excellent footwork, great pre snap work and the ability to handle condensed pockets and you have one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and one that is a lot better than what the stats suggest.
The increased focus on Newton and McCaffrey has paid off. In their first eight games of the season, Carolina ran for 781 yards for 97.6 yards per game. In the last seven games, they’ve put up 1,234 yards for 176.3 yards per game. Massive, indeed.
What the Panthers lack in a loaded offensive cast they make up for in Newton and McCaffrey. The reason for this isn’t just because of how efficient both quarterbacks are, but because of how versatile their skill sets are. And with Kelvin Benjamin’s absence, that’s allowed offensive coordinator Mike Shula to call a much more diverse and explosive offensive game plan, which will be the focus of this article.
McCaffrey is an extremely valuable asset to the Panthers offense. He can be lined up anywhere on the field and flat out dominate. There are some problems with how Shula uses him, as he is occasionally lined up as if he were a power back instead of spots that put emphasis on how nimble and quick he is, but in general the rookie from Stanford is a machine.
With that said, he is also a quality blocker, as shown on this designed QB run. His speed as a blocker gives Newton an open lane to run through with his block on the linebacker. With this, the quarterback uses hesitant, but intelligent running to get the first down. Newton’s footwork and vision as a runner can’t be touched by any other quarterback. It’s one thing to be an athletic runner, but being a smart runner is much more important.
With the greater emphasis on running the ball has come an expanded playbook. This is a triple option pitch toss to McCaffrey. The play works because it initially looks like a read option play with Jonathan Stewart in the shotgun, but the additional presence of McCaffrey in the pistol leaves him undetected. Newton tosses the ball, and McCaffrey’s raw speed does the rest.
You can also see how defenses respect the quality of Newton’s running, as seen on this play. The Jets defense gets baited into going after Newton, leaving Kaelin Clay, the true target on the end around, completely uncovered. This highlights Newton’s value even on plays where he isn’t the driving factor, as well as the increased speed the Panthers have seen with the Benjamin trade from other players stepping up and doing their parts.
In previous seasons where the Panthers struggled to move the chains, this season they are one of the best offenses on third down conversions. Thanks to McCaffrey, the offense has been able to move more consistently.
The Dolphins go for an all out blitz on third down on this play, foolishly leaving McCaffrey in space. Newton recognizes the blitz and is able to get the ball to his back. McCaffrey recognizes the linebacker on him, so once he gets the ball in his hands, he instantly adjusts his mechanics, jab cuts and makes the linebacker miss, making it all look easy as he picks up the first down.
The duo of Newton and McCaffrey are at their most dangerous on read option plays. With two high quality players with wide skill sets, defenses have no idea who’s getting the ball, keeping them guessing and making Carolina’s read option virtually unstoppable.
On this read option QB keep, Miami’s front seven bites on the McCaffrey fake, and Newton makes an impressive cut as he races for the open field. In addition to his footwork and vision, Newton’s raw speed makes him nearly impossible to cover as a runner; It’s quite the site. The result of this nice play is a 69-yard run.
The same read option concept happens on this play. This time, however, McCaffrey is the one that gets the ball. Newton recognizes the wide open lane McCaffrey has in front of him, lets go of the ball, and allows McCaffrey to score the touchdown. McCaffrey’s athleticism in space is phenomenal, and on this run he shows off Le’Veon Bell-esque patience on a cut. He evades a tackler and goes home free for the score.
Conclusion
You normally don’t name a playoff team dangerous on the basis of two players alone, but Cam Newton and McCaffrey literally do anything and everything. With Newton’s downfield accuracy and precision in tight windows combined with his outstanding running ability, as well as McCaffrey’s technique as a receiver and ridiculous versatility allowing him to be positioned everywhere on the field, and you have perhaps the most dangerous offensive duo of players in football.
Mike Shula isn’t a perfect coordinator, but he has stepped up his play calling since the Kelvin Benjamin trade. Shula understands how skilled Newton and McCaffrey are, and has done a nice job of mixing up their roles and catching defenses off guard. He’s not the best coordinator by far, but also not the worst either.
Outside Newton and McCaffrey the Panthers do have several other important pieces. Jonathan Stewart is still a powerful runner that makes his offensive line look better. Speaking of which, that unit has improved somewhat this season. Greg Olsen’s return is important as well, and the front seven includes quality pieces like Luke Kuechly, Julius Peppers, Mario Addison and Shaq Thompson.
Problems come up in the secondary, which has struggled recently, and obviously the receiving corps, which has dealt with injuries and lacks anyone you can really trust outside of Greg Olsen and possibly Devin Funchess.
But with the versatility and ability of Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey, this may not matter. Most of the playoff teams in the NFC have weaknesses on defense this duo can exploit. (The Panthers had already shocked the Vikings at home earlier this season with a win) So as long as these two are healthy and on the field, the Panthers could be due for a deep playoff run.