That's right, I know 1-5 is a deep hole but here are five reasons it is not a hole too deep.
1. The Panthers Always Finish Strong
Here's how the Panthers have done in their final ten games of the season since Ron Rivera was hired as head coach:
2011: 5-5 (6-10 overall)
2012: 6-4 (7-9)
2013: 9-1 (12-4)
2014: 4-6 (7-8-1)
2015: 9-1 (15-1)
Outside of the anomaly that was 2014 Rivera's teams usually play better in November and December. Unfortunately they don't have much room for error at this point. 2016 could end up more like the early years 2011 - 2012 when Rivera's teams seemed to play better once the pressure was off. So in that regard regardless of what button it was Rivera pushed he gets his teams to fight to the end.
2. Cam Newton Seems to Be Playing like an MVP Again
After some early season 'jitters' I will call it for a lack of a better word and a one game absence due to a concussion Newton looked sharp in mounting a comeback against the Saints. Yes he came up short but we have reason to believe this offense can still score a lot of points on any given Sunday. They are currently 4th in the NFL in yards per game (394.3) and 6th in points per game (26.8). Plus they have already faced the better defenses on their schedule. Which leads me to my next point.
3. The Panthers Schedule Gets a Little Easier
The Panthers play three of their next four games at home against teams around a .500 record. These are all winnable games:
Cardinals (3-3)
@ Rams (3-3)
Chiefs (3-2)
Saints (2-3)
Certainly many of you can throw darts at this assertion but we all know the Panthers can win these four games. They have the offense to put up enough to win these games. The question is whether the defense can rise to the occasion. If they can the Panthers would be back at .500 before heading on their dreaded west coast trip at the Raiders (4-2) and then the Seahawks (4-1). Survive that and they can then exorcise some demons in the final quarter of the season.
4. They Still Have Luke Kuechly and a Strong Front 7
The Panthers front seven hasn't been playing like they did in 2015 but we know they have the talent to do so. The key might be some tweaks to the scheme from DC Sean McDermott. They could also benefit from catching a few breaks here and there. Remember 2015 was blessed with a remarkable positive turnover margin that has disappeared this season, actually it's gone in the other direction. Yet the football Gods could just as easily begin to shine on us again. If not then Luke Kuechly will carry the defense on his back. They will learn from those atrocious games against their NFCS rivals and be ready for the rematch.
So there you go...my Top 5...well that was only four right?. I actually did that on purpose. It's not that I couldn't come up with a 5th reason. It's just that usually the CSR membership can come up with better reasons than I can detail. So feel free to add your additional reasons to the comment thread. Rec the ones you like... or just start a GIF war...it's the bye week after all. We have a week to kill.