8. Carolina Panthers
From 2013-2015, Carolina was 34-13-1 in the regular season and advanced to (at least) the divisional round each season. In 2016, the Panthers were 6-10 and missed the playoffs.
So, what’s the outlier? One bad season or a good three year run?
Cam Newton is still one of the game’s best, most dynamic players. He also seems to be on the wrong side of a double standard on hits that are allowed on quarterbacks, especially stars.
Expect that to be a big talking point of the offseason, possibly with new rules being adapted. If defenses can’t go hard at Newton, only a few teams have the personnel to contain him. But even if rules aren’t changed, Newton now has an offseason to adjust his game to what happened in 2016.
Outside of Newton, Carolina has a talented offense, highlighted by some big, talented receivers. The Panthers struggled on defense without Josh Norman, but a young secondary improved as the season progressed. Those guys will be back and frankly, they should be expected to take another step forward.
Even with an incredibly disappointing 2016 season, it’s hard to see Carolina as anything but a viable Super Bowl contender in 2017. There is just too much talent on this team.