CHARLOTTE, N.C. — No more training camp talk, no more preseason games to banter about who will take what starting job, no more of it. We have made it to the 2018 NFL season where each and every game matters.
The Carolina Panthers won't have an easy start to the season as they are set to host the Dallas Cowboys for the team's first home opener in 5 years (2013 was the last home start to the season).
It's a new (fast) team full of exciting potential on both sides of the ball. You can't deny cornerback Donte Jackson brings a much needed attitude and "swagger" to the defensive side of the ball. A recorded 4.32 40-yard-dash at the NFL combine doesn't hurt either.
But when it comes to quarterback Cam Newton, he is entering his 8th season in the league and said "I feel like a rookie." That is great news, but it will only mean so much if he can mesh well in new offensive coordinator Norv Turner's system.
Turner has been known to reinvent many NFL quarterback's careers, and there is a similar expectation he can help Newton become an even more proficient passer (Turner wants Cam to hit the 65-70% completion range). Newton has his new weapons to play with in first-round pick D.J. Moore and the bulkier (yet still as fast, if not faster) running back Christian McCaffrey.
It's game 1 of the season, so anything can happen and how they will operate is still a question mark. Veteran linebacker Thomas Davis missing the first four games of the season due to a PED suspension hurts the team considerably, but with how dangerous the offense is, that may be the least of the team's worries.
The Dallas Cowboys have some large question marks looming over their own roster, but at the end of the day, I predict the Carolina Panthers will start 2018 off right with a victory.
It's time for Newton to prove he can still play at an MVP level, and if he is to do so, this is the best opportunity with his most talented supporting cast yet.
Carolina Panthers win 28-20.
What is your prediction? Be sure to follow Sports Anchor Luke Lyddon on twitter @Luke_Lyddon to tell him your final score, and what you think of the Panthers outlook on the 2018 season.
