Panthers = playoff push : Can they out-growl the NFC South?

The CAROLINA PANTHERS was one of the surprise teams of Week 1. Can they convert their sudden talent into wins? Mark Jones breaks it down.

OVERALL RECAP

The Carolina Panthers completely dominated every stat on the board against the San Diego Chargers last week. They outnumbered the Chargers in total net yards (388-316), First Downs (20-17), Passing First Downs (12-10), Rushing First Downs (7-6), Passing Yards (246-211), Rushing Yards (142-105 against Tomlinson), and Time of Possession (32:02-27:58). So whats this thing about, "They can't back 2-minute drill drives every game"? They won"t make 2-minute drill drives every game. They won't need to!

11 of the Panther's remaining 15 games are against teams that did not win more than half their games last year (8-8 and below), 9 are against teams that lost more games than they won last year (7-9 and below), and 5 are against teams that had double-digit losses last year (6-10 and below). In the month of November, the Panthers have a bye on the 2nd, @ Oakland on the 9th (easy win), Detroit on the 16th (easy win), and finally @ Atlanta on the 23rd (win). It's pretty obvious that that's an undefeated month for Carolina. Their next game is the Panther's home opener against Chicago, another game they're likely to win. Don't count out the Panthers this year, folks, because 9-7 may be an understatement.

OFFENSIVE RECAP

The Panthers ranked in the top 10 in the NFL last week in Rush Yards (10th) , Pass Yards (5th), and Total Net Yards (6th). DeAngelo Williams averaged 4.8 yards a carry with a long of 11 yards, and rookie Jonathan Stewart averaged 5.3 yards a carry with a long of 15 yards. On the receiving side, Daunte Rosario led the pack with 7 receptions for 96 yards, 5 first downs, and the game-winning touchdown grab. Muhsin Muhammad also had 6 receptions for 56 yards and 4 first downs, D. J. Hackett had 5 catches for 48 yards, and Dwayne Jarrett had 2 receptions for 36 yards, both being first downs.

DEFENSIVE RECAP

Chris Harris (who had 10 tackles) and Ken Lucas (Fumble return for TD) were the stars of the day for the Panther's Defense. Na'il Diggs also had 8 tackles, one of them being a 6-yard sack, and Jon Beason had 7 tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS RECAP

John Kasay was perfect for the day, 4-4 with a long of 49 yards. He was also 2-2 on extra points. Punting-wise, Jason Baker had an average day with 3 punts and an average distance of 48 yards. All of Baker's punts were within 5 yards distance of one another. 2 were inside the 20.