Carolina Panthers rapidly approaching huge tipping point in 2022

How close are the Carolina Panthers and team owner David Tepper approaching a huge tipping point following another disappointing defeat in Week 4?

After a week of optimism surrounding the Carolina Panthers, things turned sour once again during their Week 4 loss against the Arizona Cardinals. Fans were in no mood to react well to yet another inept offensive display, with boos ringing down from the stands as Kliff Kingsbury’s men took complete control in the fourth quarter to pile further misery on head coach Matt Rhule.

The Panthers are now 1-3 on the season and have just one win to show from their last 10 outings. Carolina has also lost its last 24 contests when the opposition scores more than 17 points – a truly remarkable stat that is a damning indictment of the way things are currently unfolding within the organization.

Callas for major changes reared their head in the immediate aftermath of the loss. Nothing new to Rhule, who’s dealt with hot seat talk for almost two years now without any action being taken by team owner David Tepper.

When speaking in front of the media on Monday, Rhule remained confident in the billionaire’s support. But one has to wonder just what the tipping point will be with 13 games of the 2022 campaign remaining.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper could take drastic action

Tepper’s stubbornness might only stretch so far. Putting a winning product on the field has been a thankless challenge for the owner since purchasing the franchise from Jerry Richardson and although Rhule was his choice, cutting losses is something he’ll be forced to do if things don’t start trending upwards quickly.

The lack of atmosphere within Bank of America Stadium is also threatening to undermine Tepper’s bottom line. And if there’s one thing NFL owners and people with his wealth hate more than anything, it’s losing money.

There is areal disenchantment between the Panthers and its fanbase right now. Opposition supporters treat games in Charlotte as if they’re at home, which isn’t doing the team any favors in pursuit of getting themselves out of their current slump.

That would mean nothing to Tepper. However, if the players start to waver in their support of Rhule, it becomes a completely different scenario.

Carolina is still putting on a united front in public. But it would not be a surprise to see some begin voting their displeasure to Tepper if results continue in a similar fashion to what we’ve seen over the last two seasons.

Tepper removed Charlotte FC head coach Miguel Angel Ramirez from the equation once it became apparent there was some locker room unrest. If the same happened with Rhule, that might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in this instance.

Something has to give eventuality. The Panthers are rapidly becoming the NFL’s laughing stock and it is simply not sustainable long-term.

With some difficult upcoming games, there’s every chance Carolina is 1-6 by the time they take on the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. This would make for a very hostile atmosphere under the national spotlight.

Admitting you’re wrong is hard to do. Especially in Tepper’s case after he handed Rhule a seven-year, $62 million deal to prise him from the college ranks and away from the New York Giants’ advances.

There has been no significant return on this investment as yet. If this stretches into midseason, then Tepper will have little option other than to take immediate and drastic action.