One minute and 30 seconds.
That’s as long as quarterback Cam Newton could bear to field questions from the media following another heart-wrenching loss (41-38) at the hands of the division rival New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
This type of loss is becoming typical for the Panthers, harkening back to 2012, Ron Rivera’s second year with the team, when they lost a league-high seven games by one score or less. Having already lost close games to the Broncos, Buccaneers and Saints (by a combined seven points), they’re on pace to match that mark in 2016.
With the loss, Carolina’s record drops to 1-5 on the season, good for last place in the conference and three games back of the division-leading Atlanta Falcons — this, just a season after reaching the Super Bowl and seeing long-time doubters finally sing Newton’s praises as the then-26-year-old took the franchise to new heights on his MVP campaign.
Returning almost all of last year’s starters, the pressing question is, what happened to that team we all watched with complete wonderment? Humbled by years of disappointment, it was hard to believe the results week after week; there was something different, dare-I-say magical about the team which seemed to come out of every dire situation unscathed, unfaltering and more confident than ever.
It goes without saying that the Panthers carry less swagger than we’re accustomed to, which is in part perceptual but it also seems to be impacting their performance on the field. The team that played with a chip-on-your-shoulder, no-holds-barred mentality is now playing the victim and it began with the beating that Newton took Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.
After being hit numerous times in the head, one of which incited the NFL to publicly acknowledge the inexplicable lack of a penalty, Newton was noticeably jarred and his confidence in the offensive line lost. Two weeks later, the line surrendered seven sacks in a second-half collapse to the Vikings. The following week, Newton was finally taken out by the concussion protocol following another cringe-worthy collision.
Even with Newton out against the Buccaneers, the offense was able to move the ball, but fell apart in clutch situations. Quarterback Derek Anderson’s end zone interception is the most obvious example, which also illustrates the offense’s newfound propensity to turn the ball over — the Panthers rank last in the league with 16 giveaways and have almost surpassed last year’s total of 19.
But for all that the offense has been lacking in efficiency, the defense’s failure to make stops in critical situations is at the crux of Carolina’s cold streak. Not only is the team forcing half as many turnovers per game this season, but it’s also giving up more passing yards per attempt than any other team in the NFC.
Carolina was tied for tops in the league in this stat a year ago and with the only notable departure in the secondary being All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman, general manager Dave Gettleman appears to have overplayed his hand.
Norman was set to play the season for the Panthers under the franchise tag, but Gettleman chose to release him in April to save money and focus on the development of the newly drafted cornerbacks. The problem is that the only newcomer to pan out so far, second-rounder James Bradberry, has been battling injury and on the sidelines watching his teammates get torched.
Fellow rookies Daryl Worley and Zack Sanchez are allowing opposing quarterbacks a passer rating of 129.0 and 158.3(a perfect score) when targeted, respectively — compared to 68.1 for Bradberry.
The linebacking corps consisting of Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson has been the only consistent part of this defense, whereas last season the team also found strength around stars like Kawann Short on the defensive line and secondary Josh Norman.
Short has been solid but unspectacular thus far into his contract season and none of his fellow linemen are putting pressure on the quarterback either. The result has been well-formed pockets for opposing teams providing enough time to gut the Panthers’ roughed up and inexperienced secondary, even in clear passing situations.
Bradberry appears set to return soon and that should give a big boost to the Panthers defense, even for no other reason than keeping Sanchez off the field. If the secondary starts to mesh better, the Panthers could come around by season’s end and sneak into the Wild Card race, but the team will have to find a new identity and renewed motivation for that to happen because the chemistry that made them so fun to watch last season is but a distant memory.
