The team that rolled to 14 straight victories at the start of the season and finished with a 15-1 record has not won a lot of accolades from those who follow the NFL.
Oh, yes, they had a brilliant regular-season run, but what does it matter if Ron Rivera's team doesn't back up its outstanding regular-season play with an even better performance in the postseason?
The Panthers get started Sunday when they host the Seattle Seahawks, the two-time defending NFC champions. Seattle was not at the top of its game for much of the regular season, and head coach Pete Carroll's team could only put together a 9-7 record.