Reviewing 5 bold Carolina Panthers predicitons before the 2021 season
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers QB Sam Darnold will end the season with more TDs than Zach Wilson
- Result: True technically
This might have technically been a correct bold prediction. But that doesn’t tell the story.
It was an abysmal season for former USC man Sam Darnold who may have put the final nail in his coffin as an NFL starter. The quarterback ended the season with 14 total touchdowns, nine passing and rushing, to go with 22 combined turnovers that consisted of 13 interceptions and nine fumbles.
Zach Wilson on the other hand ended with 13 total touchdowns alongside 16 turnovers with 11 interceptions and five fumbles. Just purely from that alone, you could argue the rookie had the better season. And of course, a big feather in the cap is this was his first year in a professional environment whereas Darnold has completed four seasons at this level.
Wilson struggled behind a poor offensive line unit with the New York Jets, but his clear potential did flash on occasions. When it came to Darnold, we saw frankly more of the same of what we’d seen in the three years he spent at MetLife Stadium.
One has to imagine the decision-makers in New York were happy with their decision to ship Darnold to the Carolina Panthers and manage to get three draft picks in the process.
For Carolina, it seems the quarterback carousel which has plagued this organization since David Tepper became owner will continue.