Are 2023 Panthers the worst in franchise history?   

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

The Carolina Panthers haven't had much to celebrate in 2023 with the NFL's worst record at 2-14. Only the 2001 team has been more futile at 1-15.

Bryce Young sat on the Carolina Panthers’ bench at EverBank Stadium, reviewing another missed opportunity to make a play.

Receiver Jonathan Mingo ran free over the middle, creating distance between himself and Jacksonville Jaguars defenders, but Young’s pass missed. Young did not like what he saw, slamming the tablet on the ground. He rose and walked along the bench, patting himself on the chest and accepting blame.

“I gotta do a better job, obviously, with body language, but I was just frustrated with myself,” Young said following the punchless Panthers’ 26-0 loss. “Opportunities like that, you cannot leave out on the field.   Watching it back ... you know, I was just mad at myself.”   

Missed opportunities appear to be the theme of the Panthers’ 2023 campaign.

They wasted some public goodwill by drafting Young, the No. 1 overall prospect and allowing him to learn and grow before handing him the starting job during OTAs. In hindsight, the Panthers would have been wise to start veteran Andy Dalton and allow Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, a chance to adapt to the league under less pressure, literally. In Young’s 16 starts, he has been sacked 59 times.  

Owner David Tepper appears to be losing support from much of the Carolinas. The billionaire was levied a $300,000 fine by league officials for an embarrassing drink-tossing incident at Jacksonville last Sunday.

The team is also testing fans’ patience. Entering Sunday’s season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Panthers are 2-14 and coming off their first shutout in 21 seasons.

Since the franchise’s inception in 1995, Panthers fans endured the frustrations of 2001 and 2010.

Is 2023 the worst?

Panthers failed to produce any offensive consistency  

In his first season as offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown failed to find chemistry, from quarterback to offensive line to open receivers downfield. Chuba Hubbard enjoyed spurts during his rise to RB1, but as a unit, Carolina lacked cohesion.

The Panthers enter Week 18 ranked 31st in points per game (14.8) and 32nd in yards per game (269.4).

For the last question of his final Thursday press conference, Brown was asked what went wrong this season.

He grinned.

“That’s a loaded question,” he said. “That’s a pretty in-depth convo we can have at a different time.”

Why not now?

This year’s version could establish the league’s worst 17-game record. They are not the 2008 Detroit Lions, which went 0-16, but at least possessed the No. 1 overall draft pick in the next draft, which resulted in the selection of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams.

For all their struggles this season, the Panthers’ initial 2024 draft pick will be No. 33 after general manager Scott Fitterer included the selection in the one-sided package to obtain the right to draft Young last April.
It was one of the first of many missed opportunities.

Panthers’ franchise previously suffered, risen

How bad were the 2001 and 2010 squads?

Let’s take a quick look back.

In 2001, the front office decided to move on from QB Steve Beuerlein, a Pro Bowler two seasons earlier, for presumed starter Jeff Lewis. The preseason performance of 28-year-old rookie Chris Weinke changed those plans, earning him the No. 1 role.

The Panthers beat the Minnesota Vikings during Week 1, but less than 48 hours later, terrorists executed their 9/11 attacks. The NFL, and much of the United States, went dark.
When play resumed, the Panthers dropped their remaining 15 outings. But at least they were competitive, dropping seven games by four points or fewer.

The current Panthers have been outscored by a league-worst 171 points.

In 2010, NFL owners braced for a player lockout and many parted ways with big-contract stars. The Panthers jettisoned quarterback Jake Delhomme and defensive end Julius Peppers, who signed with the Chicago Bears as the league’s highest-paid defensive player.  

The Panthers, who finished 2-14, also stumbled from extended absences by injured starters like linebacker Thomas Davis, quarterback Matt Moore, tackle Jeff Otah and running back DeAngelo Williams.  

They were left with rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who looked overmatched. The Panthers started 0-5 and never recovered with an offense that produced just 16 touchdowns.

Enter Cam Newton with the 2011 No. 1 overall pick.

The 2023 Panthers have scored just 20 offensive TDs.

Big differences between three down-and-out squads

The Panthers rebounded in 2002, going 7-9, before becoming one of the league’s biggest stories in ‘03, falling to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 32-29, in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
That game attracted 89.8 million television viewers, which broke Super Bowl ratings records.

In 2011, Newton gave Carolina a jolt of personality and performance, leading the Panthers to Super Bowl 50. Of course, he benefited from the veteran leadership of Greg Olsen, Steve Smith, Jonathan Stewart and Williams.

Those teams were also owned by Jerry Richardson, who was mostly revered by the community before he was forced to sell out after the revelation of racist and sexist behavior.
Tepper, to this point, elicits different emotions.

In the 93 games Tepper has owned the Panthers, they have compiled a 30-63 mark. He has fired coaches in-season the past two campaigns. He announced training camp will move to Charlotte, away from their traditional trek to Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.

Now, Tepper’s dealing with Cup-gate.

With so much uncertainty, it’s hard to imagine a year when the franchise bottomed out so aggressively, from play on the field to fan reaction.

“We just have to be better with execution ... top to bottom,” Young said after the Panthers generated just 124 total yards against the Jaguars. “That’s on me. “We have one more week. One more opportunity to get better. To be better and put a better product out there.”

Will it be just another missed opportunity?

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