Getty Images

The Panthers might be a little sore in the seat this morning, but in the aftermath of taking their first loss and falling all the way to the best record in the NFL by a game with one to play, they’re trying to see the bright side rather than dwelling on the loss to the Falcons.

“We’ve accomplished a lot,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said, via Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review. “To be 14-1 at this point in the season is tremendous, so let’s not lose sight of that. This is not the end of the world, obviously. It’s not even the end of the season.”

No, it’s not, though the problems that existed with the Panthers going into the season were on full display Sunday, even if they took four months to fully reveal themselves.

Their pass-rush isn’t what it used to be, forcing them to blitz more often than they’d care to. Their secondary is old and thin and can be beaten over the top for big chunks. Without Jonathan Stewart, they lack sufficient depth in the run game to complement Cam Newton. And though they’ve covered it up for 14 weeks, they don’t have the kind of reliable downfield targets other playoff passing games enjoy.

But still, they are 14-1. A quick check out the door this morning confirms the sky in Charlotte remains there.

“I’ve been on a team where we lost three straight games going into the playoffs,” veteran safety Roman Harper said.”This is a great thing for us. I never say losing’s a great thing, but we will be better because of it.”

Harper was referring to the 2009 Saints, who started 13-0, and fell apart late, losing their final three regular season games. It clearly killed their playoff chances to go in with such a lack of confidence, as they outscored opponents 107-59 to plow their way to a Super Bowl title.