The Carolina Panthers have dropped five games by three points or fewer, showing their inability to close when it matters most.
Sunday’s game between the Carolina Panthers and Oakland Raiders solidified two important points for both teams. The Panthers dropped to 4-7 as their playoff hopes were all but extinguished for the 2016 season. Contrarily, the Raiders pushed their record to 9-2 to lock in what will be their first winning season since 2002.
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The turnaround this has been welcomed for the Raiders and their fans and a long-time coming. For Panthers fans, it is yet another season watching their team fall short in close games.
“Cardiac Cats” is a nickname that has followed the Panthers since the team’s creation back in 1995. The group is known for its inability to close out late games, often sputtering to the finish. The 35-32 defeat to the Raiders is the fifth game this season that the Panthers dropped by three points or fewer.
This team is a few miscues away from having a 9-2 record of their own and well on the way to building on the momentum it saw during last year’s 15-1 campaign. Instead, there is a growing list of questions without any real answers that face this group throughout the remaining five games and, if they can turn things around, the postseason.
Quarterback Cam Newton said it himself during the postgame press conference, stating, “We’ve got to find a way to win close games.” That statement speaks directly to the Panthers’ inability to close.
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Closing is an aspect of sports in which teams and players find a way to shut the door on the opposition with their lead intact. It’s an important component and one in which Carolina has failed to complete multiple times this year. The Panthers allowed the Raiders to come from behind to take the lead after rallying out of a 24-7 hole early. Carolina’s offense had the ball in their hands with an opportunity to drive down the field, but a sack-fumble brought the drive to a sudden end.
Both sides of the ball are struggling to play their role in closing out games. Look back to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in which Carolina’s offense was unable to score in the second half. Then there’s the 41-38 loss to the New Orleans Saints in which Carolina scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, just to be unable to close out the Saints’ final drive. These are the type of losses that completely swing a season in either direction. In 2015, these were the games that the Panthers won. However, these are the games the Panthers are losing in 2016.
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This loss to the Raiders nearly closes out chances for the Panthers to make the postseason. They are three games behind the Atlanta Falcons and failing to gain ground. The Panthers have a history of falling apart in these games and 2016 is rife with examples of just that. This is an issue that involves everything from play-calling down to execution on the field. Whatever the final verdict may be, looking back on these late-game situations stands as a reminder to why the Carolina Panthers are known as the “Cardiac Cats.”