5. Can the Carolina Panthers rediscover their mojo?
Cam Newton and the Panthers’ Super Bowl 50 meltdown turned into a 2016 hangover the team could just not escape.
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The Panthers finished 2016 with a disappointing 6-10 record, earning them last place in the NFC South. This was hardly the season Panthers fans were expecting after watching their team go 17-2 the prior year. But, it would appear that the Panthers had never got over falling to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.
Newton’s numbers in particular took a cliff dive. He completed only 52.9 percent of his passes which was down 7.1 percent from his previous season. Missing were the touchdowns as well after Newton tallied only 24 compared to 45 in 2016. Sacks and hits to Newton were unfortunately a huge stumbling block to his production.
Meanwhile, Carolina’s defense came up short-handed, ranking No. 19 in 2016. Divisional quarterbacks Drew Brees and Matt Ryan had games against Carolina when they each passed for four touchdowns. Defensive efforts such as these don’t win games.
It also does not help that the Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers made huge strides of a positive nature last year.
A team that featured the NFL coach of the year and the league’s MVP in 2015 should have survived last season much better. Clearly, there is a laundry list of chores to tackle moving ahead.