The Carolina Panthers made the Super Bowl just three seasons ago but linebacker Thomas Davis believes the current iteration of the team may be even more talented.
According to David Newton of ESPN.com, Davis was responding to an earlier comment from quarterback Cam Newton about the overall talent of the current Panthers roster. Newton had said it may not be the most talented team he’s been a part of while noting he felt the group was “meshing and linking up perfectly.”
Davis elected to disagree with his teammate on the first part of his statement.
“He’s been on a more talented team than this one?” Davis asked. “I’ve been around a lot of Cam teams, other than at Auburn, and they weren’t that talented down there either. But this might be his most talented team. I don’t know what he’s talking about.
“From my observations, being a part of the 2015 team, athletically, speed-wise, from that standpoint in particularly on the offensive side, this is definitely the most talented set of guys I’ve been around.”
While the 2018 version of the Panthers already has more losses on its schedule than the 2015 version did all season long, the current version is still playing at a high level. Carolina has won five of their last six games and have scored 78 points over the last two weeks against Baltimore and Tampa Bay. The group may be more dynamic offensively than their 2015 counterparts as Christian McCaffrey, Curtis Samuel and D.J. Moore provide some offensive pop alongside Greg Olsen and Devin Funchess.
However, the current defensive group may not be quite as skilled. Davis is 35 years old and the entire starting secondary from the Super Bowl team is long gone. The 2015 Panthers ranked sixth in both yards and points allowed. The current group ranks 11th and 12th, respectively, in both categories.
At 6-2 the Panthers have hung with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South and still have both matchups with their division rival to come in Weeks Fifteen and Seventeen.