18. Carolina Panthers (20)
One odd thing about the Carolina Panthers is they’ve never had back to back winning seasons. After going 11-5 in 2017, they nearly accomplished that feat the following season as they began 6-2. However, they then fell apart and ended up with a 7-9 record, keeping their frustrating streak alive.
This also continued a roller coaster ride that started in 2013 when they were 12-4, but then followed it up with a 7-8-1 record in 2014 (although they did win their division somehow that year). They then went 15-1 in 2015 followed by 6-10 in 2016, and of course, they had their past two seasons with a winning record followed by a losing one.
That surely means the Panthers should be good this season, right? They do have a formidable running back in Christian McCaffrey, who had 1,965 yards from scrimmage last season. In addition to Run CMC, there’s Cam Newton who won the NFL MVP award in 2015. The problem is, there’s not a lot of help outside of those two and the offensive line has been a major issue — which has led to Newton being banged up as of late.
Thankfully for the Panthers, they have done well adding defensive talent. Brian Burns, Bruce Irvin, and Gerald McCoy beef up their front seven and locking up Eric Reid was a wise move as well.