Matt Rhule and Marty Hurney won’t call it a rebuild. Whatever you want to call it though, it’s undeniable the Panthers are entering a transitional period going into the 2020 NFL season. After going 5-11 last year, the team has lost several key pieces on both sides of the ball, incuding their two best players in Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly.
Looking ahead, the Panthers appear to be one of the weakest teams in the league this year, at least on paper.
The folks at USA TODAY seem to agree but they’re a lot more bearish on this group than we are. According to national NFL writer Nate Davis, Carolina will only go 3-13 this season.
“New coach with limited NFL experience (Matt Rhule). New playbooks on both sides of the ball. New quarterback with six starts in the past four seasons (Teddy Bridgewater). No Luke Kuechly. Three divisional opponents who project as tough outs. Rough ride seems likely.”
It’s fair to predict a rough ride and nobody in their right mind thinks this team is going to the playoffs this year. However, 3-13 sounds just a bit too harsh. Talent-wise it will admittedly be tough for the Panthers to compete in a loaded NFC South division, especially with a very inexperienced defense going up against three future Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
Coaching counts for a lot, though.
If Matt Rhule, Joe Brady and Phil Snow are all as good as advertised and they really embrace modern ways of thinking they could upset “better” teams. Their passing offense in particular might be surprisingly potent under the guidance of an innovative, young play-caller.
Unless they get afflicted by a rash of injuries, we’re predicting a 6-10 finish in the regular season.
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