Disappointing.
The Carolina Panthers 2016 season can be summed up in a few choice words. After falling just short of the pinnacle of the National Football League in 2015, the Panthers marched into the new season with all eyes on the prize. The historic 15-1 season a year ago, which included a third consecutive NFC South division title and a second-ever NFC championship victory, Carolina was viewed as one of the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this year in Houston.
Bewildering.
For the first time in four years, the NFL playoffs began with Cam Newton and company watching from their couches. In what has been a roller-coaster ride for the franchise in recent years, with finishes of 12-4 in 2013, 7-8-1 in 2014 and 15-1 in 2015, the Panthers had started to become a household playoff name. However, a 6-10 finish this season left the defending NFC champs not only out of the postseason, but at the bottom of its own division as well.
Inconsistent.
If you watched the Panthers play this year, you were probably wondering which team would show up to play in each game. A missed field goal as time ran out by Graham Gano nixed what would have been an overall quality win over the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the season opener. After the loss, Carolina throttled San Francisco to even its record, but went on to lose its next four games, including three-straight to division foes.
The Panthers ended the losing streak by beating Arizona and then Los Angeles, two lackluster teams, but wins nonetheless. The win-streak should have risen to three when the Panthers entered the fourth quarter holding a commanding 17-3 lead over Kansas City in Week 9, but an epic collapse allowed the Chiefs to score 17-straight points and steal the win, 20-17.
Frustrating.
After defeating New Orleans in Week 10, Carolina sat at 4-6 overall. The Panthers then traveled to the west coast for two weeks to face the red-hot Oakland Raiders and then the rival Seattle Seahawks back-to-back in what were must-win games if any prayer of playoff hopes were to stay alive. However, the Panthers stumbled coming out of the gate. A horrendous first half in Oakland was almost unbearable to watch, as Cam Newton connected on a dismal 3 for 12 passing for 18 yards and an interception. The Panthers went into the break down 24-7 with absolutely zero momentum and the season on the line. Mustering its dignity, the team came out firing in the second half, scoring 25 straight points to take the lead 32-24. But another fourth quarter collapse negated any chance of finishing the comeback, and Carolina lost, 35-32.
Embarrassing.
One would think a primetime Sunday night game against the archrival Seattle Seahawks would bring out the best in the Panthers. But when the stakes were highest, Carolina played one of its worst games of the season, getting absolutely demolished by Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ defense. After the first Panthers play from scrimmage resulted in an interception, Seattle simply rolled, sending the Panthers back to Charlotte with a 40-7 loss.
The season continued for Carolina as it held on to beat San Diego 28-16 in Week 14. On Monday night the following week, the Panthers played arguably its best game of the season, as it went into Washington and dominated the team, 26-15, a win that hurt Washington’s playoff hopes and ended up knocking it out of playoff contention. However, Carolina followed the impressive performance with two more losses, one to Atlanta and one to Tampa Bay, and ended its campaign at 6-10 overall.
To be fair, the Panthers had its fair share of injuries this season, the most notable of which could be found on the offensive line.
“It’s about as catastrophic as you can get,” head coach Ron Rivera told The Charlotte Observer when referring to the numerous injuries that belittled his offensive line.
Starters Ryan Kalil and Michael Oher, as well as backups Gino Gradkowski and Daryl Williams, missed multiple games throughout the season, forcing veteran Mike Remmers and three-year starter Trai Turner into new and unfamiliar roles. The plethora of injuries destroyed all chemistry between the o-line from last year, and caused strife for quarterback Cam Newton, who suffered 36 sacks and was consistently pressured by all opposing defenses.
Another heavy blow was dealt to the Panthers in Week 11 when superstar linebacker Luke Kuechly took a hard hit to the helmet, causing a concussion. The injured Kuechly stayed in concussion protocol and was shut down for the remainder of the season. In the final six games that he missed, four were losses.
Blame for this season’s struggles can also be placed on general manager Dave Gettleman. Gettleman let star cornerback Josh Norman leave to free agency this past offseason, a move many criticized because it left rookie cornerbacks James Bradberry and Daryl Worley with the task of guarding the likes of Falcons wideout Julio Jones and Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans. The Panthers pass defense was ranked 29th in the league in opponent passing yards per game this season, a stark contrast to last year when it was ranked ninth.
With injuries riddling both sides of the ball for the Panthers, fans turned to the reigning NFL MVP: Cam Newton. A year ago, Newton had a dream season, throwing for 35 touchdowns, rushing for 10 more and throwing only 10 interceptions. This year, however, Newton didn’t even come close. He managed to throw only 19 touchdowns, ran for five and threw 14 picks.
The much-anticipated return of wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin from ACL surgery last year didn’t bear the fruit that was expected. Benjamin recorded 941 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, both of which were lower than his 2014 rookie season.
Yes, the 2016 Panthers season was one to forget. Fourth quarter meltdowns, injuries, lack of an experienced secondary and inconsistency from star players were themes for Carolina this past year. However, if the eighth pick in the upcoming 2017 draft is managed properly by Gettleman and Rivera and free agency is handled better this offseason, expect the Cardiac Cats to bounce back next year.
