We’re only two weeks into the season and already the NFC South is heating up.

The Panthers will travel to Atlanta to face their division rivals Youth Luke Kuechly Jersey , the Falcons, this Sunday. Carolina is coming off an impressive 16-8 win over Dallas. The Cowboys challenged the Panthers offense, holding Cam Newton to a modest 161 yards in the air. However, Newton lead the team in rushing with 58 yards and a touchdown. Sunday’s win didn’t come without cost, though. The Panthers lost tight end Greg Olsen and right tackle Daryl Williams in their debut.Like the Panthers, the Falcons suffered two huge blows from their Thursday night loss against the Eagles. Their defense is now without two Pro Bowlers, safety Keanu Neal and middle linebacker Deion Jones. Even with the injury to Neal during the game, Atlanta’s defense still looked solid. On offense, Julio Jones was stellar against the defending Super Bowl champs despite Matt Ryan completing fewer than half of his passes. The Panthers are 1-3 against the Falcons over the last two seasons and are now six point underdogs against Atlanta. Here are three keys for Carolina’s offense to defeat the Falcons:Let Cam be Cam: Norv Turner likes the run-pass option. Against the Cowboys, Newton decided to use his legs. He broke out with some big runs that kept their defense off guard. Atlanta losing Neal means they won’t have their big hitter and run stuffer. With the Falcons now lacking in run support, Cam should continue to do his thing on the ground. Beat the Birds in the air: Losing Jones is also irreplaceable for the Falcons. He was a beast in coverage mode. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn will have to do a lot of shifting to fill the void of Jones and Neal. Although Panthers are reeling in their own loss of Olsen, there’s plenty of young talent able to step up. Sunday’s match-up will be a realistic opportunity to test out the fresh tight ends. Not to mention, Panthers still have one of the most versatile receiving corps in the league. Protect Newton: Carolina’s offensive line is a patchwork right now. Cowboys defense was able to sack Newton a total of three times. Dallas also pressured Newton on 43% of his drop backs.Atlanta might be feeling the heat of losing their two best defensive players http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-wes-horton-jersey , but they still have plenty of talent. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is a fine interior pass rusher who can put on the pressure and hit. Defensive end Vic Beasley was quiet in the season opener, but it’s only a matter of time until he gets back into rhythm, so don’t sleep on him. Similar to the Panthers, Atlanta has been bitten early by the injury bug. This game will come down to which team is able to adjust and utilize their remaining talent the best.Why Cam Newton is not the Carolina Panthers salary cap MVP Last week I highlighted the players who will likely compete to be the Panthers 2018 “Offensive Salary Cap MVPs” by significantly outplaying their 2018 cap hits. I narrowed the list down to C.J. Anderson, Jarius Wright, and Tyler Larsen, but several of the CSR faithful made the case in the comments that Cam Newton is the Panthers actual Salary Cap MVP. I thought a healthy debate about Cam’s 2018 cap number could prove to be entertaining, so let’s go there. And just to jump ahead, the answer to the question if Cam is the Panthers 2018 Salary Cap MVP is a clear “No.”Cam vs. all other QBsCam is entering the third season of a 5-year, $103.8 million deal. His cap hit in 2018 will be $21.5 million. Cam’s 2018 cap his is the 13th highest among NFL quarterbacks. But before jumping to the conclusion that his cap number is a great value because he’s better than the 13th best QB in the league (which he clearly is), we have to look at the actual cap numbers of other top-tier signal callers. Here are the QBs with the highest 2018 cap hits, per Spotrac:UntitledRankName2018 Cap Hit (Millions)Pro BowlsSB Wins as StarterRankName2018 Cap Hit (Millions)Pro BowlsSB Wins as StarterNewton’s cap number is sandwiched right between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, arguably the two best quarterbacks in the league. Let’s exclude Jimmy Garoppolo for a moment because his $37.0 million cap hit is an outlier based on 2018 being the first year of his new monster contract. (His cap number drops to $20.0 million in 2019 to balance things out.) Excluding Garoppolo and Cam Ryan Kalil Jersey , the average 2018 cap hit for the No. 2 through No. 16 QB is $22.8 million, which is just a hair above Cam’s $21.5 million. This group includes several Super Bowl winners and regular Pro Bowlers. Cam vs. the NFL’s “Top 5” QBsNow let’s just compare Cam to the other top QBs in the league. With Cam excluded, here is my Top 5 list, which is obviously open for debate:UntitledName2018 Cap Hit (Millions)Name2018 Cap Hit (Millions)The cap figure for a Top 5 NFL quarterback in 2018 is $22.9 million, which is right in line with Cam’s $21.5 million. Even if Cam turns in one of the best QB performances of the year in 2018, the Panthers are basically getting their money’s worth. But that’s like saying a Ferrari owner is “only” getting the expected value of a Ferrari. There’s nothing wrong with that. A Ferrari is still a Ferrari!By stating Cam is not the Panthers Salary Cap MVP, I am not disrespecting him. Cam’s my guy. He’s an elite NFL QB. As I’ve previously written, the only metric to measure Cam’s performance is in wins, and he’s one of the winningest QBs in the NFL. Only Country Time can rival Cam Newton in the number of times he’s made lemonade out of the lemons the Panthers have given him in terms of subpar weapons and frustrating offensive schemes. Cam’s a top-tier QB, no doubt, but his cap hit is just about where it should be for his caliber of signal caller. No disrespect. Just the truth.