{"id":65914,"date":"2019-05-28T17:01:20","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T21:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=65914"},"modified":"2019-05-28T17:01:20","modified_gmt":"2019-05-28T21:01:20","slug":"carolina-panthers-expectations-for-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/05\/28\/carolina-panthers-expectations-for-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Carolina Panthers Expectations for 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Setting expectations for the 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/panthers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carolina Panthers<\/a> is no easy feat. The team is coming off of a lackluster 2018 in which they missed the playoffs with a 1-7 record in the second half of the season. Some years, the Panthers are Super Bowl contenders. Others, they\u2019re not even playoff hopefuls. How will success be measured in 2019, then?<\/p>\n<h1><strong>Carolina Panthers Expectations for the 2019 Season<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h2><strong>Maintaining Consistency<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Setting expectations for the Carolina Panthers starts with the leaders. Ever since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/N\/NewtCa00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Cam Newton<\/strong><\/a> and head coach <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RiveRo20.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ron Rivera<\/a><\/strong> joined forces in 2011, the Panthers have been a model of inconsistency. They may not shoulder all responsibility for their rocky ride, but they have been the two constants in the experiment. They have never posted back-to-back winning seasons together, yet they\u2019ve made a Super Bowl appearance. This causes serious issues when evaluating potential expectations.<\/p>\n<p>Last season, the inconsistencies were at an all-time high. The team started 6-2 and then completely disengaged with a horrendous 1-7 finish. That is absolutely unacceptable. Mark up excuses for injury and inexperience and the result is still a failure of a season.<\/p>\n<p>The Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Panthers organization must level out for this era to be considered a success. Three division titles and an NFC Championship led by an MVP are great accomplishments, but when that level of success comes with playoff absences in-between, real questions of success will be raised.<\/p>\n<p>This year will answer a lot of those questions.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of setting goals in terms of wins and losses, this team should set them on being consistent. It should never be too much to ask for a team to play their best for more than half of a season. There will be some off games and low moments, but when they range from a 21-point fourth quarter comeback on the road against the defending champions to a 31-point blowout loss, there are serious issues.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6zanbnJaHDI\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Making the Playoffs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Setting sights on the Super Bowl immediately after losing seven of eight to end the year is setting up for failure. Of course, the Super Bowl is always the ultimate goal, and perhaps the Panthers have the right pieces to make a run at the Lombardi Trophy. But don\u2019t measure the season based on making it to the final game.<\/p>\n<p>This is a team that has no excuse not to make the playoffs, though.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Panthers have not missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since Newton\u2019s rookie and sophomore seasons. To miss back-to-back in his prime is nothing more than a failure. The additions made in the offseason through free agency<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/05\/04\/carolina-panthers-2019-nfl-draft-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> and the draft<\/a> paired with the development of young talents such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MoorD.00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>D.J. Moore<\/strong><\/a> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/McCaCh01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christian McCaffrey<\/a><\/strong> leave plenty of room for optimism. The talent is there. The right skill sets are there. The hard part will be putting it all together and making it work.<\/p>\n<p>Newton\u2019s health will play a big role in the Panthers\u2019 push for the playoffs. It seems possible that he could miss some time at the start of the season, opening the door for rookie <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/04\/17\/will-grier-2019-nfl-draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Will Grier<\/strong> <\/a>to take the helm right out of the gate. However, a healthy <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/05\/09\/starting-job-not-in-jeopardy-for-cam-newton\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newton is the undoubted starter<\/a> going forward. If his revamped offensive line is able to protect him and keep him healthy, the Panthers have more than enough pieces around him to duplicate the offensive success of the 2015 campaign.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Newton has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.panthers.com\/news\/cam-newton-not-throwing-at-start-of-otas\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">yet to throw a pass in OTA\u2019s<\/a>, coming off arthroscopic shoulder surgery, but Rivera <a href=\"https:\/\/www.al.com\/sports\/2019\/05\/still-no-time-frame-for-cam-newton-to-resume-throwing.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">insists it\u2019s no big deal<\/a>. Newton notably missed OTA\u2019s twice before in his career. Both years, the Panthers brought home the NFC South crown. Coincidence? Most likely.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No Cam Newton at OTAs today. They aren\u2019t mandatory. Heinicke, Allen and Grier running the QB show today. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/72PFSPTHfS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/72PFSPTHfS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sports Radio WFNZ (@wfnz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wfnz\/status\/1133358932104228865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 28, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Last Word on the Carolina Panthers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This is a make-or-break season in Charlotte. With questions surrounding <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/05\/24\/ron-rivera-panthers-biggest-question\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the jobs of both Newton and Rivera<\/a>, success is virtually the only option. A team with as much talent as the Panthers has no business sitting at home in January.<\/p>\n<p>The Super Bowl is, of course, the ultimate measure of success, but that cannot be the only goal. For this team, performing at a high level consistently and reaching the playoffs is the place to start. During the Newton\/Rivera era, the ceiling has been the Super Bowl, but the floor has been lower than mediocrity.<\/p>\n<p>This season will reveal a lot about the Carolina Panthers.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"SES6fp0zRzlMLo9ofvSqeg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1074343824\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'SES6fp0zRzlMLo9ofvSqeg',sig:'9b0XNl9UsiOgPTf_c1NMDG6DZhjSn0xbPWPeHU5qyIM=',w:'594px',h:'404px',items:'1074343824',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Setting expectations for the 2019 Panthers is a tall task. Consistency and a playoff berth are big for the upcoming year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3009,"featured_media":65930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,30],"tags":[367,329,61,40,2111],"class_list":["post-65914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-panthers","tag-cam-newton","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-ron-rivera"],"modified_by":"Will Noltie, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3009"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}