2) Carolina is losing a lot of close games. If Cam Newton can keep healthy and put his head on a bit straighter (i.e. improve completion percentage), Carolina will be a team to reckon with in the future. New Orleans yet again proves today why they are a Super Bowl contender.
I think that's pretty likely, long term. Newton strikes me as someone who will get better with age; he's not even halfway through his first NFL season and has already had solid games. I'll give expect Carolina to be at least 11-5 by 2013/2014.
