Cam…Oh, Cam...Panthers' signal-caller growing up quickly!

It sounds crazy to call Cam Newton’s Week 18 performance against the NFC South division rival New Orleans Saints ‘masterful’, but that’s just what it was despite the Panthers’ signal-caller going just 13-for-21 for 181 yards with one touchdown and one pick.

Newton was as ‘clutch’ as it gets down the stretch against the Saints, leading Carolina on a 65-yard game-winning drive that started with just 55 seconds remaining in regulation and concluded when Newton hit Dennis Hixon on a 14-yard strike with 23 seconds left.

Could it be the Panthers are more legitimate contender than Super Bowl pretender? Weigh in and let me know Eye On Sports NFL fans. 

Brees Making Life Easy in Underrated NFC South

NFC South

The New Orleans Saints look as explosive as ever on offense under Drew Brees this season. Unfortunately, I’m no big believer in New Orleans’ Swiss Cheese-like defense.

Let’s just repeat the previous comment on the Saints, except I’m going to substitute Brees’ name for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

No matter what kind of record the Carolina Panthers finish with from here on out, you’ve got to be absolutely thrilled to see how this franchise performed in the very first season of their rebuilding campaign under first-year head coach Ron Rivera and gifted rookie signal-caller Cam Newton.

Rivera has gotten the Panthers to play hard in every single game this season no matter the opponent – and Newton proved in his very first season as the No. 1 overall draft pick that he’s already better than two-thirds of the quarterbacks in the league!

If you’re a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, then you’ve got to be very disappointed in how the Bucs have underachieved this season. Frankly, for a team that won 10 games last season and looked like one of the league’s best up-and-coming franchises, Tampa Bay has gone backwards in a big way this season – and so have head coach Raheem Morris and young quarterback Josh Freeman in the process.