In 2014, the Carolina Panthers finished with a 7-8-1 record, but that was good enough to win the NFC South. They made it to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they were defeated 31-17 by the Seattle Seahawks. Their defense got a lot better near the end of the season, so the Panthers could certainly move forward if quarterback Cam Newton gets healthy and returns to form.

The Panthers have a great shot of making it to the postseason for the third consecutive year thanks to their pretty weak schedule.

Home: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts

Away: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans

Here are three of the matchups to keep an eye on:

New Orleans Saints: This has been a great series of games to watch over the years because they are usually close and high-scoring. The Panthers are historically solid when they play in New Orleans, though, going 9-6 there since 2000. The Saints are expected to bounce back from a poor season, so these are the NFC South games to watch in 2015.

New York Giants: As far as talent goes, the Panthers and the Giants are pretty even. They also had similar records in 2014, but the Panthers had a much better defense. The Giants will be trying to atone for their poor season last year, which could make this a tricky away game for Carolina.

Atlanta Falcons: The Panthers lost their home game against the Falcons last season, but they got their revenge in Atlanta by coming away with a 34-3 rout. The Falcons have one of the worst defenses in the league, so the Panthers will be looking to sweep this series to improve their chances of retaining their NFC South crown.

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald