PFF simulator predicts improvement for Panthers in 2020

The Carolina Panthers schedule could see an improvement in fortunes according to a season simulator by Pro Football Focus.

Many experts predict the Carolina Panthers schedule to eventually result in a losing record. The organization is currently trying to remold their roster with a view to becoming a serious contender in the coming years.

While this is to be expected, a recent article by Pro Football Focus gave the Panthers schedule some hope it can get close to a .500 record during head coach Matt Rhule’s first season at the helm.

PPF’s Elo rating system, together with market data, “simulated the 2020 season 10,000 times” and saw the Panthers emerge with an average win total of 7.0. This would be a slight improvement of the 5-11 record in 2019 during a campaign that eventually resulted in the firing of head coach Ron Rivera.

This would clearly be an encouraging sign during the first year of a rebuild. But the projection is still last in the NFC South that has two realistic Super Bowl contenders in 2020. The New Orleans Saints emerged from the simulator with a win average of 9.7, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers close behind on 8.7.

Rounding off the division was the Atlanta Falcons, who have also gone through some major changes this offseason and recorded a rank of 7.6.

Only four teams had a lower score than the Panthers from their respective simulations. These were the Los Angeles Chargers (6.4), Cincinnati Bengals (6.7), Jacksonville Jaguars (6.2), and the New York Giants (6.6).