They may only have a 6-8 record, but the Carolina Panthers recent performances have been more like the ones seen during their Super Bowl run.
If only the Carolina Panthers could have played like this at the start of the season. After coming into Washington on Monday Night Football and all but ending the Redskins’ playoff hopes, Carolina now sits at 6-8 for the year. They hold their own slim postseason ambitions, but a lot would have to happen to see the Super Bowl finalists finish in an NFC wild card spot. Don’t let that fool you into thinking all this winning is for nothing, though.
There have been calls for Carolina to “shut it down” since they went into their bye week with a 1-5 record. Losing more would guarantee a higher draft pick and with a couple of obvious shortcomings on the roster, they may have been better off. But losing can become a habit. It can also bring about changes that don’t need to be made. Ron Rivera may have been on the hot seat for the Panthers poor start, but was it all just an overreaction? When you look closely at the games they have lost, the 2016 season seems more like a lot of tough, rotten luck than Carolina being as poor a team as their losing record suggests.
From Week 1, misfortune hit the Panthers. Graham Gano missed a potential winning field goal in Denver and Carolina already had as many losses in 2016 as they had the entire year before. The next losses were bad; a home loss to Minnesota followed by an Atlanta slaughtering due to Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. These two games weren’t unlucky defeats, they were well deserved. Following, the winnable games somehow turned into losses.
The Panthers started slow in New Orleans during Week 6 but a remarkable 21-point fourth quarter performance was in vain as a last minute field goal gave the Saints a 41-38 win. The week before that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also kicked a game winner in the dying seconds and the Carolina Panthers were left with a shocking 1-5 record heading into their bye week. The offense had been doing their job for the most part, though the lack of turnovers caused by the defense was a difference maker. They simply had to cause the opposition more problems in order to give Cam Newton a chance to win games for the team. Things improved after the break, as the Panthers picked up wins versus conference rivals Arizona and Los Angeles. It almost appeared as if the franchise had turned a corner.
It was another last-minute loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10 which summed up the Panthers season. Carolina led by 14 points entering the last quarter and seeing the lead through would have ensured a third consecutive win. Conservative play calling on the offensive end contributed to the Chiefs 17 point quarter and two costly turnovers proved to be the Panthers biggest downfall. Another defeat caused by sloppiness and again confirmed by a last-second field goal.
The other two defeats for the Panthers this year came against division leading Oakland and Seattle. Against the Raiders, it came down to a three point differential yet again, while the contest with the Seahawks wasn’t even close. There have been positives to take from the defeats, which even the most negative of fans can agree on. Carolina managed to keep games close against playoff contenders in Oakland, Kansas City, Denver, and Tampa Bay. It may not count for much in the win/loss column, but it does provide reassurances of the talent on the roster. Their under performances in the first few weeks were worrying and as a result their Super Bowl run was seen as a fluke.
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They’ve had their moments in the current campaign where they’ve looked poor and dysfunctional. Even the reigning MVP, Newton, has had his fair share of reckless performances. Ever since the bye week, bar the humiliation in Seattle, these moments have been fewer each game. Beating one of the most potent offenses in Washington was no easy feat. Kirk Cousins has one of the deepest arms in the NFL, but the Carolina Panthers kept him out of the end zone and secured an interception adding to a disappointing night for the Redskins. Frustrations boiled over, as safety Kurt Coleman was on the receiving end of a punch by tight end Jordan Reed. The Panthers defense was getting to their opponent and it showed.
Carolina faces Atlanta next before finishing the season in Tampa Bay. Both opponents harbor strong playoff hopes and will be looking for a victory. The Panthers have proven in the last few weeks they aren’t the pushovers they were back in September. The record was so poor then, they were in contention for the #1 pick. Thankfully, they’ve gotten out of their funk just in time to avenge losses from earlier in the year. The wins in the last few weeks may be meaningless come the end of the season, but the effort displayed since that 1-5 start has been a relief. If nothing else, it provides hope that this will be the Panthers team we see in 2017.
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