NFL 2016 Bigger Disappointment: Panthers or Cardinals?
By David Mamola
The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders in the 2016 NFL season. Instead, they’re both mired in mediocrity.
Last year’s NFC Championship game between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals wasn’t a nail-biter, but it still was pretty memorable. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and reigning NFL MVP was flashing his dominance, their defense was forcing takeaways, and the 13-win Cardinals played their worst game of the year. The Panthers won and headed to Santa Clara for Super Bowl 50. This was supposed to be the first of many classic matchups between the Panthers and Cardinals. Now, it appears it’ll be the only one.
NFL Week 9: Picks, Predictions for Each Game
Needless to say, expectations were extremely high for both teams entering the 2016 season. If one team wasn’t picked to win the NFC, then the other one was it seemed. It was just a matter of time before these two titans clashed in the playoffs, or so we thought. However, it appears both teams are on the outside looking in.
The two teams faced off in Week 8 and was originally set to be featured for a national audience in the late-afternoon slot. All eyes were going to be trained on it as this was surely a NFC Championship game preview, right? Well, because both teams have gotten off to awful starts, the game was actually flexed by the league and moved to just a normal 1:00 ET start. If that doesn’t show you how disappointing these two teams have been, nothing will.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Simply put, both teams are flawed. The Panthers defense without cornerback Josh Norman ranks in the bottom-third of the league in most categories. The secondary is getting gashed and, outside of a game or two (including the Week 8 game versus Arizona), the pass rush has not been getting the job done.
And speaking of not getting the job done, Cam Newton has regressed this year. His accuracy has waned, the big plays aren’t there, and he’s making more headlines for what he says off the field than what he does on it.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, also have their fair share of issues. Quarterback Carson Palmer is turning the ball over at a historic rate, the offensive line is getting pushed around (and more banged-up every week), and the defense, while showing glimpses of being elite, has not carried the team as much as people thought they would. And don’t forget about head coach Bruce Arians, who has quickly gone from “mastermind” to “average” in many people’s minds.
Now, it’s not all doom and gloom for either team. The NFC South is still a winnable division for the Panthers and the same is true for the Cardinals in the NFC West. But in order to do this, both teams are going to need to get hot—quickly.
Next: 5 Teams on Upset Alert in Week 9
It’s the Panthers fall from grace that has been more disappointing, though. They have the reigning MVP and Coach of the Year, a former Defensive Player of the Year in Luke Kuechly, and are still just a middle-of-the-road team. The Cardinals have also been a huge disappointment, but their collapse is more explainable. Palmer is almost 37 years old and the defense lost some key depth players on defense in the offseason. Regardless, both teams’ collapses have been inexcusable.
The NFL is a crazy league and maybe one team (or both) will get hot down the stretch and make the playoffs. However, there is no doubt that the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals have been the league’s most disappointing teams so far.