A statistical look at the Panthers' regular season

CHARLOTTE – Head coach Ron Rivera has often trotted out the line "figures lie and liars figure" this year. But a few stories of the Panthers' regular season can be clearly seen through some stats. 

Here's a look at the major categories, followed by notes on the offense and defense. 

• The Panthers were 20th in rushing midway through the season, so to wind up 4th, they obviously finished with a flourish (excluding the season finale in Atlanta).   

• 28th in passing isn't ideal, but for what it's worth, here's where the passing game ranked in Carolina's previous three postseason appearances: 29th, 2013; 19th, 2014; 24th, 2015).  

• The offense averaged 0.4 points fewer than it did last year but finished three spots higher in that category.   

• Cam Newton was sacked 22 times in his first seven games and 13 times in his final nine games.  

  Panthers Defense
  Category	Average/Total	NFL Rank
  Total Yds	317.1	7th
  Rushing Yds	88.1	3rd
  Passing Yds	229.1	18th
  3rd Down %	37.9	13th
  Points	20.4	t11th
  Takeaways	21	t16th
  Red Zone TD %	47.7	8th
  Sacks	50.0	3rd

   

• After falling to 21st in total defense last season, the Panthers finished in the top 10 for the fifth time since 2012.   

• The rush defense finished in the top-6 for the fourth time since 2013.   

• The pass defense was ranked 3rd midway through the season, so they had a precipitous drop to wind up 18th.    

• Same for third down defense, which was ranked 5th after Week 9.   

• The previous two numbers factored heavily into points allowed, which went from 3rd to 11th in the final seven weeks of the season.  

• "Thieves Ave." produced only 10 interceptions, tied for sixth-fewest in the league.   

• Carolina finished top 3 in sacks for the third straight year and in the top 10 for the fifth time since Eric Washington took over the defensive line in 2012.   

• The Panthers jumped 21 spots in red zone defense over the final seven weeks of the season.     And now, some notable individual numbers:
  

• Newton was second in yards per carry – throughout the whole league. His 5.4 average was second only to Saints running back Alvin Kamara (6.1).   

• Newton's career-high 754 rushing yards was good for 23rd among all players. His 139 carries was also a career high.   

• Newton's 80.7 passer rating was the second-worst of his career, behind last year's 75.8. He especially struggled on third down, when his 60.7 rating ranked 38th among quarterbacks.  

• Christian McCaffrey tied for 14th overall with 80 receptions, one behind Kamara for most among all rookies.  

• Jonathan Stewart's 3.4 yards per carry was the lowest of his 10-year career.   

• Devin Funchess had 63 receptions for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. In his first two seasons, he totaled 54 catches for 844 yards and nine scores.   

• Julius Peppers and Mario Addison tied for 11th overall with 11.0 sacks apiece.   

• Michael Palardy's 42.4 net average was fifth-best among punters.   

• Graham Gano, who made all but one of his 30 field goal attempts, led the league with a franchise-record 96.7 make percentage.