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The Carolina Panthers were one of the best teams in the NFL in 2008. The had offense, they had defense, they had the best record in possibly the best conference in the NFL. Their shorter than expected playoff run was disheartening for the Carolina faithful who were expecting a better postseason finish, but all that aside, there's a lot to like about Carolina in the near future. Here are a few of the best reasons to go to online for some Carolina Panthers tickets next season, plus a few suggestions for what the Panthers can do over the offseason.
Schedule Breakdown
Carolina started out the year in exciting fashion, winning on the road against one of the better teams in the AFC, the San Diego Chargers, via a last-second touchdown strike. The Panthers won their home opener in week two in a close one versus the Chicago Bears. In the first half of the year, the eight games before their bye week, the Panthers went 6-2. After their break, the Panthers won the easy ones (including games against Oakland, Detroit and Denver) and lost to a couple of playoff teams (the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons). Their last eight games produced a 6-2 record, thus giving the Panthers a 12-4 overall record, good for first in their division and a first round bye in the playoffs. The overall trajectory of the team was a steady climb to the top of the NFL. By the time they were 8-2 people were thinking they could be a Super Bowl contender. Their best run came when they were 11-3 after beating the Denver Broncos at home, having won seven of their last eight games.
Stats Highlights
Where do you start with the highlights? The Panthers' offense and defense were both in the top half of the league, and
their turnover differential was +6. Running the ball was the meat, potatoes, bread, butter and kitchen sink of the team. The Panthers ended the regular season with the third most rushing yards as a team (2,437), and the most rushing touchdowns (30). DeAngelo Williams shined, as he ran for 1,515 yards and 18 touchdowns (oh, and never fumbled the ball once), a breakout performance for the third-year back. Jonathan Stewart, a rookie, ran for 836 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jake Delhomme performed admirably after returning from surgery. He was one of the league's best in yards gained per completed pass, as deep bombs were set up beautifully by a successful running game. Wideout Steve Smith had his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving year (not including 2004, when he played just one game). Julius Peppers had 14.5 sacks.
Stats Lowlights
The Panthers' one weakness appeared to be their passing defense. Teams went after their secondary pretty hard, and they gave up 3,387 yards through the air. Their rushing defense gave up 1912 yards on the ground, which was in the bottom half of the league. We hate to mention the playoff game against the Cardinals, but Jake Delhomme's stats in that game certainly count as a lowlight, though they weren't representative of his overall work.
Possible Offseason Moves
If the Panthers want to shore up their defense, they might invest in linemen or linebackers who can put pressure on the quarterback. Both Jon Beason and Julius Peppers are amazing, but they need some supporting cast members to carry the defense to the next level. The Panthers have nothing wrong on offense, but they might hesitate before trading away some of their talent for more defense.
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