Cam Newton, Panthers Proving They're Legitimate Threats for Perfect Season

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers are putting up gaudy numbers, and with another complete effort in their 33-14 Thanksgiving Day blowout of the Dallas Cowboys, this team is looking more and more like a legitimate threat to end the regular season with a perfect record.

First, take a look at what Cam and Co. have in the way of remaining opponents:

Week	Opponent	Record	PPG	Points Allowed/Game	Total Defense Ranking	Total Offense Ranking
13	@ New Orleans	4-6	25.5	31.5	32nd	2nd
14	vs. Atlanta	6-4	25.0	21.4	10th	4th
15	@ New York (Giants)	5-5	27.3	25.3	31st	14th
16	@ Atlanta	6-4	25.0	21.4	10th	4th
17	vs. Tampa Bay	5-5	23.6	25.4	13th	9th

The Panthers will face a few decent offenses over the home stretch and will encounter four clubs that rank in the top 10 in total offense. These teams also put up quite a few points and will look to test the Panthers defense in the coming weeks.

Fortunately, to this point in 2015, defense hasn't been an issue for the Panthers.

The unit is anchored by two-time All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly, defensive tackle Kawann Short and cornerback Josh Norman—all three of whom rank in the top 10 at their respective positions, according to Pro Football Focus.

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

On talent alone, the Panthers defense is capable of keeping its opponent's offense at bay. The results for this unit speak for themselves, though, as Carolina currently ranks as the fourth-best team in the league in terms of total defense and fifth in points allowed, per ESPN.com.

If that weren't enough, the Panthers have already played two of their four remaining opponents, holding the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 22 and 23 points, respectively, earlier in the year.

Since those matchups—they came in Weeks 3 and 4—the Panthers have grown tremendously, and in the last three weeks, they have allowed just 10, 16 and 14 points to the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins and Cowboys, respectively.

The Panthers haven't just grown on defense, though; the offense has made some major strides, as well.

The most notable improvements on offense have surfaced in the play of the team's quarterback, Cam Newton.

Newton, now in his fifth pro season, is on pace to post the best season of his career.

Though he isn't likely to set career highs in passing or rushing yards, Newton is pacing the offense and doing more with just one viable pass-catcher, tight end Greg Olsen, than most would've thought possible.

With Olsen pacing the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, Newton has put together an incredible season. Consider what the 26-year-old has been able to accomplish with arguably the weakest receiving corps of his young career.

Splits	CMP%	Yards	AVG	TD	INT	RAT
2015 Stats	57%	2283	7.49	20	9	90.4
Positional Ranking	28th	20th	14th	t-6th	t-11th	17th

It doesn't look glamorous, but Cam is getting it done on the ground, as well, and has racked up 382 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Even more, perhaps, is the fact that over the last few games, Cam has improved the trajectory of his 2015 season. In the last three games, Newton has passed for 217, 246 and 183 yards, respectively, while logging a total of eight touchdowns—two rushing and six passing.

Cam has been outstanding, but the Panthers' ground game deserves some love, as well. 

The success of running back Jonathan Stewart and Newton on the ground has afforded the Panthers the opportunity to dominate time of possession and control the pace of a given game.

Stewart and Cam currently rank fifth and 35th in the NFL, respectively, in rushing yards, and they have combined for a whopping 10 touchdowns.

The two have paced the Panthers' offensive attack, and fortunately for Carolina, the team will face just two teams that rank in the top half of the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (Tampa Bay ranks 14th and Atlanta ranks first).

The Panthers had success on both sides of the ball today and are riding high into Week 13, logging their 11th straight win of 2015—they're currently on a 15-game winning streak in regular-season games dating back to last year. However, head coach Ron Rivera is looking to keep the team grounded. According to ESPN's David Newton, Rivera called being 11-0 "nice," but he believes the team has "much to accomplish."

At this point, the next step is running the table and finishing the regular season 16-0, and from what we've seen from the Panthers this year, that's a feat they're poised to accomplish.

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