The Carolina Panthers have announced that Luke Kuechly and Cam Newton will both sit out Friday's game against the Buffalo Bills, according to Pro Football Talk.
This announcement comes as no surprise. Newton suffered a major shoulder injury in the middle of last year, and his play steadily declined because of it. It would make no sense to risk Newton in a meaningless preseason game. Kuechly is another established veteran with nothing to prove. Playing these two in a preseason game doesn't have any upside, and doesn't make any sense.
While the Panthers missed the playoffs last year, they're a sleeper pick for a playoff berth in 2019. Throughout the first half of 2018, Carolina looked like a wild card team at the very least. Newton's injury torpedoed their chances of going anywhere.
Although the NFC South is a stacked division with the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons, it's easy to envision the Panthers topping the Falcons for a wild card berth. Knocking off the Saints is a tougher task, since they look like one of the tougher teams in the NFL.
Besides facing the Saints twice a year, the Panthers' schedule is a difficult one. They have to face the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks, and the entire AFC South. The AFC South is probably the best division in the NFL; the four teams in it range from championship contenders to wild card hopefuls. If the Panthers can navigate the schedule successfully, it would be no surprise to see them playing on wild card weekend.
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