4 major elements that held the Carolina Panthers back in 2022
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers started poorly
This was supposed to be the season when Matt Rhule‘s grand plan of turning the Carolina Panthers around began to demonstrate improvements. But it was clear from very early on that this was never going to play out as the head coach thought.
Rhule’s inept management of team affairs and the fact nobody truly bought into what he was selling were just two reasons behind his eventual demise. David Tepper was one of the last to see the wood through the trees, but a torrid loss against the San Francisco 49ers at Bank of America Stadium ended up being the final straw.
The billionaire fired Rhule the following day and put Steve Wilks in charge. But losing to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6 left them at 1-5 and staring into the abyss once again.
Wilks did a superb job in challenging circumstances – especially after the Panthers traded Robbie Anderson and Christian McCaffrey before the deadline. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome such a poor start when push came to shove.
Rhule landed on his feet at the Nebraska Cornhuskers with his smooth tongue and a decent track record in college. As for Wilks, he remains under strong consideration to continue his good work throughout a 2022 season that seemed lost before his methods began working.