NFL: 5 teams most likely to underachieve
By Bryce Olin
3. Carolina Panthers: 8.5 wins
This might be the easiest underachiever to pick in the entire league. In the last few weeks, it feels like everyone is jumping off the Carolina Panthers’ bandwagon, which 100 percent what they should be doing.
Where do I start?
Carolina lost three of its top-four receiving options from last season Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell, and Ted Ginn Jr. The Panthers drafted wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin from Florida State in the first-round of the NFL draft to replace the receiver production. Expectations for Benjamin, while they should be sky-high for the future, needed to be tempered in the meantime. He’s a rookie receiver with no other decent receiving options around him; NFL double-coverage takes some time to adjust to.
On top of the receiver problems, Cam Newton is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and doesn’t quite look like himself yet. That could also be due to the broken rib Newton suffered during the Panthers’ third preseason game against the New England Patriots. Technically, the injury is a hairline fracture, which basically means the rib isn’t displaced, according to The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Newton should be able to play, but his pain tolerance will be the issue in Week 1. As the injury won’t be healed in time for Week 1, there’s always the possibility for further injury or re-injury that could hinder Newton through the entire season.
The NFC South also creates plenty of problems for Carolina. New Orleans, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay should all be better than they were a season ago. Carolina has a strong defense, but the offenses of New Orleans and Atlanta might be too difficult to overcome. The Panthers also play four games against the NFC North, featuring the high-powered offenses of Chicago, Green Bay, and Detroit.
As the division winner last season, the Panthers also set themselves up for games against Seattle and Philadelphia, rounding out their NFC schedule. Legitimately, I don’t foresee the Panthers winning more than eight games next season, although I think six wins seem more likely.