1) Sustained Success
When Ryan Kalil came to Carolina in 2007, the Panthers had made the playoffs just three times in their 12-year history. Eleven seasons later, Kalil and his club are in a much different spot.
By locking up a fourth postseason berth in their past five seasons Sunday, the Panthers tied the Packers and Seahawks for the most in the NFC since 2013.
“There's players that have played 13-plus years in this league that have never been to the playoffs, so it's huge,” Kalil said. “It's important, it's a hard thing to do and I think it says a lot about our players, our staff and our management.