Carolina Panthers' Playoff Chances Aren't High With Difficult Schedule, Cam Newton's Shoulder Injury

The Carolina Panthers were 6-2 through the first half of the 2018 NFL season and looked like a team that was well on its way to the playoffs. Five games and five losses later, the playoff chances for Cam Newton and Co. are looking pretty slim.

Carolina fell below .500 for the first time this season when they were defeated by the Cleveland Browns in Week 14. Without a win since the first week of November, the Panthers are a half-game out of the playoff picture.

A weak NFC has kept the Panthers alive in the wild-card race. While the New Orleans Saints have easily clinched the NFC South, none of the contenders for the conference’s No.6 seed have a winning record, giving Carolina hope with just three games remaining.

The Minnesota Vikings were unable to extend their lead as the NFC’s second wild-card team with a loss to the No.5 seed Seattle Seahawks Monday night. Carolina is tied with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. The Green Bay Packers are a half-game behind Carolina and one game behind Minnesota.

The Panthers own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Eagles. The Redskins have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Panthers.

With just three weeks left until the playoffs, Carolina doesn’t exactly face a favorable schedule. They still have to play the Saints twice. New Orleans is a 6.5-point road favorite against Carolina in Week 15 on “Monday Night Football,” according to OddsShark. The Saints will likely be trying to secure home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs when they host the Panthers in the season finale.

Carolina’s Week 16 game at home against the Atlanta Falcons looks much different than it did earlier this season. The Falcons did beat the Panthers in Atlanta in Week 2, but they've gone 3-8 since, looking like one of the NFL’s worst teams.

Minnesota is a heavy favorite at home against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, and they’ll visit the Detroit Lions the following week in a game they should win. The Vikings host the Chicago Bears in Week 17, though that game might not matter if Minnesota wins their next two contests.

The playoffs won’t be in Carolina’s future if Newton doesn’t start playing better. After totaling 19 touchdowns and four interceptions in the first half of the year, the quarterback has thrown for nine scores and eight picks during the team’s five-game losing streak.

A sore shoulder could be to blame for Newton’s recent performance. According to Sports Illustrated’s Jonathan Jones, the former MVP will likely require surgery in the offseason.

With Newton less than 100 percent, the Panthers haven’t scored more than 27 points during their losing streak. Carolina had surpassed the 30-point mark in four of their previous six games.