The Panthers have started the first two weeks of the 2022 season in disappointing fashion with two straight losses: A Week 1 loss to the Browns and a Week 2 loss to the Giants. The only good news about those two losses is that they were both on late field goals, so at the very least the Panthers aren’t getting blown out by their opponents.
But that’s about the only good thing we can say right now. A few days ago we asked you if you believe the team is headed in the right direction as they look to finally get on the right track in Week 3 against the Saints. The results are now in, and the fan confidence took a an even bigger dive than it did last week: only 9 percent of you are still confident the Panthers are headed in the right direction. That’s a 35-point drop from last week’s result, and a 75-point drop from the survey we took before Week 1. That’s not good, folks.
I’m not surprised at all, to be completely honest with you. The Panthers have started the season 0-2 when they were supposed to start turning things around for the better. Matt Rhule historically starts putting wins on the board in his third year, and that has not been the case so far with the Panthers. Carolina supposedly improved at multiple positions on the offensive line and at quarterback over the offseason, but those results are not showing up on the field, and it’s no surprise that fans are starting to lose confidence.
Matt Rhule is on one of the hottest seats in the NFL according to fans*, and if the Panthers don’t start winning games soon we could see a situation where the fans just completely check out until a change is made. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if Rhule can’t produce what he’s paid to produce then the fans aren’t going to stick around for very long.
*- The fans have Rhule on the hot seat, but ownership may unfortunately have a different opinion on the matter.
Hopefully things get better for the Panthers in Week 3, but the Saints have been in complete control of the rivalry for the last several years. Things may be different now that Sean Payton and Drew Brees are both gone, but if the Panthers continue being as inept as they’ve been over the last two weeks, we’re probably going to be looking at an 0-3 start on Sunday evening, and that won’t be good for anyone involved with the Panthers organization.
Feel free to discuss your thoughts on the results of this week’s survey in the comments, and please make sure you sign up for future surveys so your voice is heard!
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