Panthers Earn Playoff Berth as Cam Newton Leads Game-Winning TD Drive vs. Bucs

After a one-year absence, the Carolina Panthers are returning to the playoffs after quarterback Cam Newton scored a game-winning touchdown from one yard out with 39 seconds remaining to hand his side a 22-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. 

The Panthers have been an enigma dating back to 2012. They have alternated between winning and losing seasons in each of the past six seasons, though they have now made the postseason four times during that stretch. 

It's probably not a coincidence this up-and-down run directly coincides with Newton being Carolina's starting quarterback. He's been hit-or-miss throughout his career, with the highs including an MVP and Super Bowl appearance in 2015. 

This season has been a strong return to form for Newton after he completed a career-low 52.9 percent of his passes in 2016. He entered Sunday completing 60.3 percent of his attempts with 643 rushing yards, second-most on the team behind Jonathan Stewart.

Following a Week 10 win over the Miami Dolphins, Newton felt like the Panthers were just coming into their own as a team. 

"I feel as if we're still scratching the surface with our potential and things we can do as a whole with this offense," Newton told reporters. 

Beyond Newton's performance, the Panthers are also succeeding because the defense is operating at a high level. They rank fifth in total yards allowed and 11th in points allowed.

As noted by Jonathan Jones of The MMQB earlier in December, first-year defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has been instrumental in Carolina's defensive resurgence:

"The Panthers blitz on 43% of their defensive snaps, according to data compiled by Pro Football Focus, which ranks second in the league this year and nearly doubles the blitzing rate Carolina was employing before Wilks took over (the highest rate before Wilks came in 2013 when the Panthers blitzed 26.3% of the time). And Carolina is blitzing 50% of the time on third down while the league average over the past year as been 35.6%."

All of the pieces came together to make the Panthers one of the best teams in the NFC again. They have stood toe-to-toe with Super Bowl contenders this season, knocking off the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings along the way.

After securing their spot in the postseason, the Panthers are able to turn their attention toward getting back to the Super Bowl and finishing the job they came so close to doing in 2015.