It's easy to dismi s the based on their sub-.500 record, but the defending NFC South champions are heating up at the right time. The opened up December with three straight wins, and it appears this team could be rounding into form as a legitimate playoff squad. Of course, Carolina still has to punch its ticket to the postseason.Sunday brings in the Georgia Dome. Here are three reasons why I believe 's will repeat as division champs -- something that's never happened in the NFC South -- and be a challenging out in postseason play:1) The Panthers are unleashing Cam Newton as a dual-threat playmaker.Despite (overblown) reports about the demise of "the running quarterback," the have rediscovered a way to maximize their franchise player's talents by allowing him to do what he does best on the football field: run around and make plays.After confining Newton to the pocket for much of this season due to injuries and philosophical changes, the have let him loose down the stretch. Following a Week 12 bye, Carolina has incorporated more read-option plays and designed quarterback runs to enhance the ground game while featuring play-action and movement-based concepts on pa sing plays. As a result, Newton looks more comfortable in the backfield. The offense has displayed more explosivene s and better balance over his last three games, including at the Superdome in Week 14. (Newton, of course, mi sed Week 15 due to a back injury suffered in a car accident, but he returned to action in .)While studying the , I was impre sed with the way offensive coordinator Mike Shula has used Newton as a runner early in games to get the ground attack rolling. The 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year routinely pulls the ball on zone-reads during the opening series, forcing defenders to respect the quarterback run. These concepts not only pull an extra defender away from the box, but they temper defensive aggre sivene s on the perimeter, due to concerns over the quarterback or running back squirting through an uncovered gap on a blitz.In the following play, taken from , Newton lines up in the middle of a shotgun split-back formation. After the snap, Newton sticks the ball in RB 's belly and reads the reaction of the defensive end. Tight end runs acro s the formation to execute a slip block on the first defender at the second level. Newton pulls the ball, follows Olsen around the corner and weaves through traffic for a big gain(TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):The also have incorporated a few naked bootlegs with run-pa s options for Newton on the perimeter. These concepts allow the big-bodied playmaker to use his legs or arm to exploit an overaggre sive defense -- particularly in the red zone, where defensive coordinators routinely ratchet up the pre sure.In the play just below, taken from , the are aligned in a power-I formation to the left. Newton fakes a handoff to in the backfield, then takes off on a naked bootleg to the right. The quarterback sprints around the corner and uses a timely block from Olsen at the goal line to score(TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):The have set Newton up for succe s by sprinkling more play-action into their game plan. The clever utilization of run-action fakes draws linebackers and safeties to the line, creating huge windows for receivers on intermediate routes. Additionally, these play-action pa ses simplify reads for the quarterback, leading to increased efficiency and production from Newton.In the following play, taken from the game, the are aligned in a tight I-wing formation out of "23" personnel (2 RBs and 3 TEs). Newton is instructed to fake an inside handoff to Stewart, with Olsen running a corner route as part of a snag pa sing concept. When Newton sticks the ball in Stewart's belly, the ' linebackers rush to the line, allowing Olsen to sneak past the defense. Newton quickly reads the reaction of the defenders a signed to cover the fullback in the flat and to ses a teardrop to Olsen for a 16-yard touchdown (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):The have incorporated a number of play-action pa ses off zone-read action to further simplify the pa sing game for Newton. Again, hard run-action fakes draw linebackers to the line, leaving vacant areas for receivers to fill. In addition, the run fakes create easy one-man reads for Newton, allowing him to be quick and decisive with his throws.In the next play diagram, also pulled from the game, the break the huddle in a full-house backfield with Newton in the shotgun. is running a skinny post on the right, with Newton executing a hard play fake in the backfield. The hard fake pulls several defenders near Pat Lafontaine Jersey the line, leaving an open window for Brown on the post. Newton sees the safety vacate the area and delivers a dart to Brown for a big first down(TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):With Shula putting together a game plan that perfectly suits Newton's skills as a run-pa s threat, the ' offense finally looks like a playoff-caliber unit capable of doing damage against quality opponents.2) Jonathan Stewart has ignited Carolina's ground game.The seventh-year pro has shown flashes of greatne s throughout his career, but a series of injuries have kept him from fully realizing his potential. The oft-injured Stewart has  mi sed 20 games over the past three seasons, including three in 2014 due to a knee sprain. Consequently, the rarely have featured Stewart prominently in the game plan, opting to utilize a committee approach in the backfield. While the combination of , , Tolbert and Stewart was certainly imposing on paper, the shared workload prevented Shula from leaning on a designated runner in tough times.Since Stewart rose to the feature role in Week 13 -- thanks in part to another injury for Williams -- the hard-nosed runner has put the ' ground game on his back. He has ama sed 437 rushing yards, averaging 5.6 a pop. The steady production between the tackles has helped the regain the physical identity that sparked their run to the NFC South title a season ago. Most importantly, the consistent running game has relieved Newton of the pre sure to carry the offense on the strength of his right arm, and it's helped protect a defense that's breaking in a number of first-year players.From a tactical standpoint, the are using Stewart on an a sortment of inside- and outside-zone plays, with Newton lined up in shotgun and under center. Newton is instructed to carry out his fakes on shotgun running plays and execute bootleg fakes on traditional runs; this causes the defense to pause for a count before pursuing Stewart, leading to many big gains from the hard-charging runner. In addition, the increased use of shotgun runs puts Stewart in his comfort zone, given his past experience as the feature back in Oregon's spread offense. While every NFL running back is expected to produce positive gains from wherever he lines up, there is a subtlety required to run effectively on shotgun/zone-read concepts. Runners must be able to make decisive downhill cuts while running laterally on zone plays, to attack the creases along the front line and consistently pick up positive yards.Stewart is an exceptional runner out of the shotgun, particularly on north-south plays between the tackles. He attacks creases at the first sign of daylight, but he's patient enough to wait for holes to develop beyond the point of attack. Watching Stewart over the past few weeks, it's apparent he has found his groove as a runner in this offense. He has produced a number of explosive runs (12-plus yards) on inside running plays, displaying the speed, burst and acceleration to blow past defenders on the second level.In the following play, grabbed from the game, the motion into an offset-I formation, with Stewart positioned on the right as a halfback. Newton executes a read-option with his eyes on the defender at the end of the line of scrimmage, outside linebacker . When Haralson runs up the field to attack Newton, the quarterback slips the ball to Stewart on an inside-zone play. With cornerback racing to the pitch man, , Stewart explodes through a crease on the way to a 69-yard touchdown (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):In the next play, taken from the game, Stewart exhibits patience, poise and explosivene s on a traditional outside-zone run. Aligned as the feature back in a dubs formation, Stewart takes the handoff heading left on an outside zone. He patiently runs behind his lead blocker before attacking a crease against a fast-flowing defense. Stewart splits the gap and weaves through traffic on his way to a 30-yard gain and critical first down for the (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):Given Stewart's effectivene s and production as the feature back in the ' offense, it makes sense for Shula to feed his veteran runner early and often against the . Stewart has hit the 20-carry mark in each of the ' last three games; Shula should make it a point to extend this to four straight games on Sunday. The have been vulnerable against the run for much of the season, and a succe sful ground attack would allow the to play keepaway from and Co.3) The Panthers' young and athletic defense is rounding into form.Harrison: Power Rankings, Week 17In the latest edition of his weekly NFL pecking order, Elliot Harrison has another change at the top of the board. It's rare that a defense gets better by playing a host of youngsters in the back end, but that is the case with the . The insertion of rookies and into the starting lineup -- at cornerback and safety, respectively -- has shored up the unit's biggest  weakne s and added some much-needed playmaking ability to the secondary.Benwikere, the ' fifth-round pick in May, is already viewed as the team's best cover corner. He is an instinctive defender with a knack for finding the ball down the field. Additionally, he is an underrated athlete capable of staying stride-for-stride with explosive receivers on vertical routes. Benwikere exhibits the savvy, instincts and awarene s to anticipate routes and attack errant throws in his area. Most crucially, he is a resilient player with the mentality to weather a barrage of throws in his direction. Given the daunting challenge of defending the ' receiving corps, particularly , Benwikere will need to take his game up a notch for the to contain an offense that's been rolling down the stretch.Boston, the ' fourth-round pick, has been a steady force in the middle of the field. He flashes the speed and quickne s to get over the top on deep throws, while also displaying the instincts and awarene s to make plays on intermediate routes between the hashes. Boston's also an aggre sive run defender willing to mix it up when runners slip through creases; his ability to serve as the last line of defense is e sential to Carolina's succe s.What's the key to Carolina's defensive resurgence over the past three weeks? The collective efforts of the young defensive backs combined with the solid play of a front seven that's peaking at the right time. The currently rank , and they've held opponents to just 13.3 points per contest during this three-game winning streak.Against the , the must make it a point to slow down Jones. 's go-to guy is an explosive playmaker on the perimeter with the speed and acceleration to blow the top off coverage on vertical routes. Of course, he also po se ses the running skills to hit home runs off catch-and-run to ses.The receiver does the majority of his damage on slants, sluggos (slant-and-go), square-ins and comebacks against one-on-one coverage. He is exceptional at working free against tight coverage, which makes him a nightmare to defend in man. Additionally, he is adept at finding soft spots in zones and quickly races away from defenders after the catch. If the ' young defensive backs are unable to contain Jones on his favorite routes, it could be a long day in the Georgia Dome. Given the importance of containing Jones and disrupting the Ryan's rhythm, the ' playoff hopes could hinge on the performances of Benwikere and Boston in the back end.Follow Bucky  Brooks on Twitter .