Sure it’s due solely to them being in the NFC South, but the Carolina Panthers are still in the playoff hunt even at 5-8. By contrast, Sunday’s opponent the Steelers are also 5-8 but they are in last place in the AFC North, four games back from Cincinnati in the win column. Either way Carolina has momentum with two straight wins, and they’re favored again on Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Carolina offense looks legit lately, averaging 26.5 ppg the last two which includes scoring 23 against a good Denver defense in week 12. The Panthers followed the win over the Broncos with a bye which helped better integrate QB Sam Darnold<\/strong> into the offense<\/a>, and they responded with a 30-24 win in Seattle which is always a tough place to get a victory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Darnold threw for just 124 yards in Seattle, but he had a TD and didn’t have any turnovers. What has really fueled the Panthers’ success the last two wins is their running game, as both D’Onta Foreman<\/strong> and Chuba Hubbard<\/strong> had 74 yards on the ground last week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n