5 things Carolina Panthers HC Matt Rhule must get right to save his job

Matt Rhule must avoid another Carolina Panthers collapse

This one is key because, in the first two seasons as head coach, Matt Rhule’s teams have had solid starts before completely falling off a cliff to end the year.

In Year 1, the Carolina Panthers started 3-2 before losing six of their next seven games and only winning two more times the rest of the year. Last season might’ve been even worse after a 3-0 start was followed by defeat in 12 of their final 14 contests.

When the Panthers win, flaws can sometimes be overlooked. However, Rhule has now failed to make any progress in two-straight years and this is a major problem that is down to poor personnel moves and indifferent coaching during games.

He might say that it’s a “process,” but the NFL is a results-driven league. Even though he has a long contract, Rhule can’t afford to have the team go on any type of losing streak next year or it will be his last with the organization.

There will be a lot of new guys in the locker room and with Rhule already on the hot seat, he can’t lose control over the players and must stay respected for things to go right. This will be absolutely essential when one considers the strength of the schedule facing Carolina in 2022.

If not, he’ll be out of a job. That’s the long and short of it all, really.