The Carolina Panthers have won seven games, control their playoff destiny, and sit just a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But for all the progress and all the growth, everything Carolina hopes to become in the next month falls on one thing: nailing the balance between a punishing run game and an aggressive passing attack with quarterback Bryce Young.
Good things happen in Carolina when the ball goes downhill. The offensive line fires off the snap with intention. The offense stays ahead of schedule. Young plays freer and more decisively.
Carolina Panthers' offensive balance could decide their playoff fate
Against the Los Angeles Rams, Chuba Hubbard was healthy, and he finally looked explosive for the first time since his calf injury.