Contender or Pretender: The Carolina Panthers' Quest to Make the Playoffs

The Carolina Panthers successfully silenced their critics this past Sunday by edging out the San Francisco 49ers in a close 10-9 affair. The win was the fifth straight for the Panthers and their first one against a team with a winning record. Essentially, it justified Carolina’s position within the playoff picture.

However, does one win over a good team make the Panthers a legitimate contender? In many ways, this young team still has a lot to prove, and the next four weeks will determine if they are indeed a contender or just a pretender.

For what it's worth, Ron Rivera has done an exceptional job of keeping his guys grounded and focused. He emphasized as much during his postgame speech Sunday, as seen on Panthers.com. Carolina cannot afford to be caught looking ahead. That will lead to complacency and cost them games which they are supposed to win.

There is no question that Rivera’s seat is a bit cooler these days, but anything short of a playoff appearance will be considered a failure. Given the way the Panthers have played over the past month-and-a-half, many fans expect at least a winning record, but they would prefer a playoff berth too.

Carolina will need to rely on its young and hard-hitting defense to help carry it to victory. There is no denying the offense can be questionable at times, and when matched up against a defensively strong team, the offense may struggle, as evidenced by their game against San Francisco.

Led by Luke Kuechly, the defense has been impressive this season and even moreso when you look at who makes up their secondary and how well they are playing.

The combined efforts of Captain Munnerlyn, Mike Mitchell, Quintin Mikell, Robert Lester and Melvin White have been pleasantly surprising to everyone this year and are part of the reason for the defense's improvement and Carolina's current position in the playoff hunt.

If the Panthers are to become playoff bound, it will be mostly because of their defense. Sure, they blew out their last four opponents prior to their meeting with the 49ers, but in that game, the defense is what sealed the win. The offense did enough to come from behind and put them in a position to win while the Niners could only muster three field goals.

Of course the Panthers are far from completing their test.

They will have to face the always dangerous New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, and that game will probably have a playoff-like atmosphere to it when the game kicks off. Interestingly enough, the last time these two faced each other in a meaningful game during prime time was Super Bowl XXXVIII.

The Patriots have acknowledged what the Panthers have been doing over the past five weeks, and Tom Brady made a mention of how dominating the Carolina defense has been this year via Boston.com.

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They have different strengths than the other teams that we’ve faced. They have a very good team. They rush the quarterback. That tandem that they had last year is the same group they have this year that led the league in sacks from those two positions: Hardy and Johnson, and then [Mario] Addison is a great rusher.

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If the Panthers are able to emerge with a victory on Monday night, then they will have to get ready for the Miami Dolphins, a rematch with Tampa Bay and then a much-anticipated showdown with the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome.

At first glance, it is easy to suggest Carolina splits its next four games as the worst-case scenario. Even the most ardent detractors would have a difficult time making a case for any record less than .500 over their next four games.

Some logic would suggest the Panthers could go 3-1 over that span with their only loss coming against the Saints. After all, the Saints will be at home and sport one of the most effective passing games in the league.

Aside from the games against the Patriots and Saints, there is no reason to believe the Panthers will lose to the Dolphins or Buccaneers. However, Carolina has yet to beat Miami in the regular season.

As the saying goes, "On any given Sunday..."

The only way the Panthers make a legitimate claim as contenders is to sweep the teams with losing records and split with the teams on the remaining schedule, all of which have winning records to include the New York Jets.

Struggling against Miami, Tampa Bay and Atlanta will not help their cause in making the playoffs. They should be able to go 3-0 against these teams.

Of course, the statement games will continue Monday and pick up again in Weeks 14 to 16. There is no doubt the Panthers will need to trust their defense to shut down the Saints (Weeks 14 and 16) and the Jets (Week 15). The latter should be a bit easier of the two winning teams Carolina will face.

How Carolina fares down the stretch will determine if it is playoff bound and if it will enter the postseason as a division winner or a wild card. The Panthers' victory over the 49ers proved they can win big games on the road, so it may not matter if they have to become road warriors to make a deep playoff run.

There is no reason to question the Panthers' chances at making the playoffs. Their defense is as strong as it’s ever been, rivaling previous defenses that defined earlier playoff-bound Carolina teams.

The offense will need to do its part, and Cam Newton will have to find a way to minimize his mistakes and not get overly excited when making throws.  If he is settled and runs a balanced, effective offense, Carolina will be tough to beat.

Whether they are a contender or pretender, there is no denying the Panthers have laid the foundation for a great, solid football team for the foreseeable future. However, nobody within the organization or the fanbase will be satisfied with anything less than a playoff appearance.

Join me in watching the Carolina Panthers make their playoff push this year

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