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Carolina Panthers most likely to miss playoffs per ESPN

By Brandon Croce

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 07: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 7, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 07: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 7, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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In a recent poll of ESPN experts, the Carolina Panthers were unanimously picked as the most likely team to miss the playoffs after making it last year.

This certainly won’t be the type of news the Carolina Panthers or their fans would want to hear as they were picked by all 22 experts polled by ESPN to miss the playoffs this upcoming season.

The Panthers, behind a rejuvenated defense, finished the year 11-5 and earned a playoff berth since their Super Bowl run in 2016. They didn’t have the same luck and didn’t advance past the Wild Card round, losing to the New Orleans Saints.

This is a team that seemingly looked poised to return to the playoffs even with losses in free agency like Andrew Norwell, Jonathan Stewart and Star Lotulelei. However, they added defensive tackle Dontari Poe, C.J. Anderson and first round pick D.J. Moore that is an improvement at their respective positions.

It is hard to argue with ESPN’s David Newton reasoning for the Panthers to miss the playoffs in 2018:

"Why they could miss playoffs: The Panthers haven’t had a winning record in consecutive seasons since they began playing in 1995. If that pattern holds true, 8-8 or worse after going 11-5 a year ago won’t be good enough to make the playoffs this season in the tough NFC South, where New Orleans and Atlanta appear loaded for another run. Much depends on quarterback Cam Newton, who is transitioning to a new scheme under new offensive coordinator Norv Turner. He’s also working with an overhauled group of wide receivers. If Newton doesn’t improve in Turner’s system that relies on more high-percentage passes then it will be tough for Carolina to keep pace with the Saints and Falcons, who have two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL."

While it is true the Panthers have never had a winning season in consecutive years, they have had at least 7 wins in five of the six seasons. The worst season record was 6-10, which came in 2016 after their long playoff run to the Super Bowl.

Newton is correct though that the Panthers’ playoff hopes hinge on their franchise quarterback and how he performs in this new offense. This will be the first time since 2013 that he will not have Mike Shula calling plays for him. There will likely be a learning curve for the former first overall pick and in a tough NFC South division they can’t afford to be out of sync to start the year.

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There is no question that every team will need to earn a spot in the playoffs in a tough NFC. However, the Carolina Panthers has the talent to potentially make franchise history with consecutive winning seasons.

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