Carolina Panthers: Why it’s not time to panic just yet
The Carolina Panthers fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 of the 2019 season by a score of 20-14. Back to back losses at home are a tough way to start off the new year.
The Panthers first loss of the season to the Los Angeles Rams was understandable. The Rams are a well-coached, complete team that went all the way to the Super Bowl last year. The loss Thursday night to the Buccaneers is a lot tougher to swallow.
The Buccaneers were the worst team in the NFC South last season finishing with only five wins. They started off the new season with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in a game where they couldn’t stop turning the football over. Still, they were able to come into Carolina and get a victory over the Panthers.
Even though the Panthers have gotten off to a terrible start, the season is a long way from over. Cat Crave is looking ahead to scenarios where Carolina still makes a playoff run.
Let’s start with last season’s Indianapolis Colts as an example. The Colts started off 2018 with a record of 1-5. They had a quarterback, Andrew Luck, that entered the season fresh off of shoulder surgery and got off to a rocky start. Sound familiar? The Colts ended that season winning nine of their next ten games finishing with a 10-6 record and a WildCard spot in the playoffs.
The similarities don’t stop there. The Colts had a solid defense and a much improved offensive line headed into that season. Much like the Panthers have headed into this year. The Colts had some dangerous offensive weapons like wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Eric Ebron. The Panthers certainly match that with guys like running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end Greg Olsen.
A lot of similarities can be made between the 2018 Colts and the 2019 Panthers. The Colts found a way to execute and live up to their potential in 2018. The Panthers certainly have the same opportunity despite the terrible start they have gotten off to.
The opportunity to reconcile the season starts next week when the Panthers take on the Cardinals in Arizona. The Cardinals seem to have improved from last year, but they still have a rookie quarterback and first-year NFL head coach leading their team. The Panthers should be early favorites to steal this game on the road as they have added time to prepare for it coming off of a Thursday night game. Win.
The week after that they take on the Texans in Houston. The season is still young but as of now, the Texans seem to be a more complete team than the Panthers. Add to that the fact that the game will be played in Houston making the Texans the favorite in this game. Loss.
Week 5 the Panthers are back home and take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars lost their starting quarterback Nick Foles to injury and he is not expected back for this matchup. The Panthers should be able to come away with this victory against a backup quarterback and get their first home win of the season. Win.
Week 6 the Panthers will travel to Tampa Bay to get an early rematch with the Buccaneers. Coming off the momentum of a win at home the Panthers should be able to beat the Bucs and split the season series 1-1 against them. Despite this week’s tough loss, it is hard to declare the Bucs as a better team than the Panthers. Win.
This would put the Panthers at an even 3-3 heading into the team’s bye week. While this is certainly not what the team envisioned coming into the year, it would still put them in a realistic situation to make a playoff run.
Now, is this preview of the upcoming games all optimistic speculation? Maybe. But the fact is the Panthers are not a bad team. They came into the season as a worthy playoff contender and two losses do not take them out of the playoff hunt. Even if the losses came within the first two games of the year.