4 critical observations from the Panthers win at Seahawks in Week 14

Steve Wilks made his case to be Carolina Panthers’ head coach

The Matt Rhule experiment proved to be a disaster after two seasons plus five games. After his firing, Steve Wilks stepped in and immediately began changing the culture within the locker room in the organization from losing to winning.

After a 1-4 start, Wilks’ Carolina Panthers are an even .500 after eight games, an impressive feat for the former Arizona Cardinals head coach. He’s become the leader of a franchise that was in desperate need of one and has delivered so far in an interim role.

Wilks was a part of the team’s success during the 2010s when Ron Rivera led the charge, working his way to the defensive coordinator position in 2017 after Sean McDermott left for the Buffalo Bills.

He was always well-respected within the organization and the locker room. Something that has not gone away now that Wilks is in charge of his hometown franchise.

Players have been very vocal in their support of Wilks, including veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson, who is one of the few remaining players from the 2015 group that went 15-1 and came up short in Super Bowl 50. Many of these voiced their opinion of having a Charlotte native as the permanent head coach of the Panthers.

Will Wilks become the permanent head coach of the team? That remains to be seen.

However, his case has been made, regardless of how the rest of the contests turn out.