4 critical observations from Panthers unacceptable Week 2 loss at Giants
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers going nowhere fast with Matt Rhule
It might not be much longer before David Tepper swallows his pride and accepts the fact that the Matt Rhule experiment has been a miserable failure. Two seasons and two games have yielded a 10-25 record and the Carolina Panthers also hold the NFL’s longest active losing streak which stands at nine contests.
The Panthers have not won a regular season game since November 14, 2021, when they beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-10. Carolina hasn’t triumphed in front of their home fans for more than a year.
Probably the most damaging stat for Rhule is the fact in Carolina’s last 19 games, they have held a lead in 17. But despite that, they’ve gone 5-12 in that time.
Only the Kansas City Chiefs have held the lead in more games during that period.
9 straight losses for Matt Rhule. 10-25 overall. 1-25 under Rhule when allowing 17+ points. Led in 17 of last 19 games, 5-12 in those games.
— Julian Council (@JulianCouncil) September 18, 2022
Despite it being just Week 2, the pressure on Rhule is growing and growing. He’s done little to endear himself to fans with his press conferences, in particular, coming in for significant criticism.
When asked if the Panthers were tempted to use wide receiver Rashard Higgins, who once again had zero snaps, Rhule said “we don’t need change we need to battle through”, making a statement like that after you’ve just lost your ninth-straight game is absurd.
Jobs at the collegiate level are becoming available with both Nebraska and Arizona parting ways with their respective head coaches. One expects Rhule’s name to be floating around the rumor pool, which is where he might be better suited.