5 Carolina Panthers players on the hot seat in Week 9 at Bengals
By Dean Jones
Eddy Pineiro – Carolina Panthers K
Things didn’t go according to the script where Eddy Pineiro is concerned in Week 8. The kicker spurned two exceptional opportunities to win the game late on, which cast real doubt about his immediate and long-term future with the Carolina Panthers.
Influential figures within Carolina’s locker room rallied around Pineiro during his media availability after the disaster, which was pleasing. The former Florida star has been almost automatic in 2022 prior to Sunday’s unfortunate misses, which gave interim head coach Steve Wilks confidence that he can bounce back moving forward.
Pineiro himself is eager for this moment not to define his time in Carolina overall. He’s getting the benefit of the doubt for now, but that might not be the case with another lackluster showing at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9.
"“I love this team, and I know they’ve got my back. I know this is not going to define me as a kicker, and everybody misses kicks. Unfortunately, mine was today, and my time was today. (I’m) going to bounce back and be ready to kick.”"
Just what this has done to Pineiro’s confidence remains to be seen. But if the Panthers want to stand any chance of toppling the Bengals this weekend, they’ll need him firing on all cylinders when called upon.