3 reasons the Carolina Panthers can become legitimate contenders in 2023
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers' situational football improvements
One of the biggest criticisms during the Matt Rhule era centered on situational football. Too many times the head coach was left floundering by his inability to effectively prepare or adjust to what was transpiring on the field - which is always the big difference between success and failure in the NFL.
The Carolina Panthers finally pulled the plug after another embarrassing loss in Week 5 of the 2022 season. Steve Wilks came to the fore as interim and immediately brought a sense of professionalism that was sorely lacking - although it wasn't enough to get the head coaching job permanently after faltering down the stretch.
Frank Reich's experience coupled with David Tepper's high-end investment to mold an elite coaching staff should guarantee situational football problems not only become a thing of the past but can improve exponentially in 2023.
Carolina's strength of schedule is not the hardest based on most analyses. So if their in-game decisions take a leap forward as anticipated, then it might be enough for some fine margin outcomes to go in their favor.
Finding ways to win in clutch situations and reacting well to every eventuality are the hallmarks of every great contender. And who knows, this could be the catalyst that propels the Panthers into relevancy throughout their first campaign with Reich at the helm.