Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the Giants was the second of the year for the Panthers and their ninth in a row dating back to last season.
The loss also dropped head coach Matt Rhule’s record to 10-25 in two-plus seasons in the job. That’s not a good path for job security and one has to wonder how much longer the Panthers will give Rhule when his team seems to specialize in finding just enough ways to make mistakes to ensure that they lose each and every week.
In his postgame comments on Sunday, Rhule tried to make the argument that the team is close to turning things around.
“We’re close. I believe that with all my heart. I think we’re so close coming down the stretch. But we haven’t found a way to get it done,” Rhule said, via Joseph Person of TheAthletic.com. “That’s my job — to help us get over that last hump. That’s the hardest part, and we haven’t done it, yet. Didn’t do it today.”
Defensive end Brian Burns told reporters he’s “tired of being close” and that sentiment is likely shared by plenty of others around the organization. If owner David Tepper is part of that group, someone else might wind up responsible for trying to get the team over the final hump.
