Carolina Panthers Are Real Favorite To Win First Super Bowl

Oct 5, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera reacts late in the game as middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) is in the foreground. The Panthers defeated the Bears 31-24 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

NFL.com raised an interesting debate question recently regarding which of the franchise across the league to never win the Super Bowl is best positioned to do so heading into 2015. The Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals came up of course given their strong rosters. The same goes for the Philadelphia Eagles, going 10-6 two years-in-a-row and perhaps finally ready to aim high with a talented quarterback in Sam Bradford.

However, each of those choices have their obstacles to worry about as well. The Cardinals and Lions both sit in murderous divisions with Seattle and Green Bay hanging above them. Philadelphia is pinning their hopes on a quarterback who has torn the same ACLs the past two seasons. Oh, and the Cincinnati Bengals? Four cracks in the playoffs and four ugly losses with little to nothing from their quarterback.

No, if there is a team out there ready to claim their first Lombardi trophy, it’s the Carolina Panthers. Don’t believe it? Follow the logic.

Pro Bowl Quarterback

Only the greatest rosters of all-time can overcome the lack of a proven quarterback to win a championship. It rarely happens, and people may be surprised to know that the often reference Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson, considered among the worst to ever win a ring, actually went to Pro Bowls in their careers.

So they must’ve been pretty good. The thing is Cam Newton is head and shoulders better than them. He’s matured so much at the position as a passer and a leader without ever losing his once-in-a-lifetime size and mobility to run. Provided he’s not asked to throw the ball 40 times a game, he has shown he can score points without being too careless with the ball.

Strong Defense

In 2013 the Carolina Panthers had the #2 defense in the league. Last season they overcame a bad start to finish 10th in yards allowed. Spearheaded by superstar Luke Kuechly, it’s a unit that is built around a stout and deep front seven that make life miserable for offenses thanks to their ability to control the line of scrimmage.

Ron Rivera is in charge of things and remains one of the best defensive minds going in the NFL. They are a largely young but experienced group, so there’s no reason outside of injuries to think they won’t continue to limit opposing scores every Sunday.

Weak Division

What sets the Panthers truly apart from the other teams in the field is the good fortune to be playing in the NFC South. They’ve already won the division title two years running and their other three rivals (Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa Bay) combined for 15 wins total in 2014. On top of that, four of their seven wins that season were against division opponents for the Panthers.

In a sense this means they are almost a sure lock to make the playoffs, thus increasing their odds of making and winning the Super Bowl.

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