From the conference penthouse to the NFC South basement, it was a bad year for the Carolina Panthers. What does 2017 schedule have in store?
From Super Bowl 50 to last place in the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers are looking to bounce back from an unimaginable season. The team that had won this division three straight years stumbled out of the gate and never really found itself.
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There were a number of factors that contributed to the downfall by Ron Rivera’s club. Be it a subpar year 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton to a secondary that greatly misses cornerback Josh Norman, the Panthers barely resembled the club that fell one victory short of an NFL title in 2015.
So will this season be different and prove that ’16 was an aberration? It won’t be easy just winning the division.
Here is how the complete 2017 schedule lays out for the Carolina Panthers:
The Carolina Panthers were extremely busy this offseason in terms of free agency. They brought back former stalwarts such as defensive end Julius Peppers (Green Bay Packers), cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (Minnesota Vikings), who had enjoyed stints with other clubs, and guard G Amini Silatolu.
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They also added left tackle Matt Kalil (Vikings), strong safety Mike Adams (Indianapolis Colts) and wide receivers Russell Shepard (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Charles Johnson (Vikings). Of course, gone are familiar faces such as fullback Mike Tolbert, right tackle Mike Remmers and defensive end Kony Ealy.
Prior to last season’s disaster, the Carolina Panthers had won three consecutive NFC South titles. Look for them to be a factor once again in the divisional race.