Matt Rhule has the Carolina Panthers on the right track

The Carolina Panthers are rebuilding but Matt Rhule looks to be the right man for the job.

The Carolina Panthers really had no business being competitive this year. They had moved on from the Ron Rivera era that saw them get to a Super Bowl. They parted ways with Cam Newton, who they took No. 1 overall in 2011. Greg Olsen left for Seattle. Luke Kuechly retired at the age of 29. That left the Panthers with Christian McCaffrey and a whole lot of questions to be answered.

The franchise hired Matt Rhule out of Baylor to be their next head coach and while the Panthers are just 3-6 to start Rhule’s pro coaching career, this team is on the right track as of now. They’ve been competitive in all but one of their games so far this season (with that loss being in Week 2 against the Bucs) and had the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes in Week 9.

What was impressive in that match-up against the Chiefs wasn’t just that the Panthers held their own, but that stayed aggressive throughout and didn’t back down even when the Chiefs had the momentum. Rhule pulled out all of the stops against the Chiefs too, attempting a fake punt (which was successful) and going for it on fourth down several times.

The Carolina Panthers could be in the playoffs sooner rather than later.

The Panthers have been impressive despite winning only three games and they’ll likely land a top 10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which is only going to help them improve down the road.

The NFC South is a tough division, but with the Saints and Bucs both having quarterbacks over 40 and Matt Ryan of the Falcons likely nearing the end of his time in Atlanta, if the Panthers can find a promising young quarterback to take over after Teddy Bridgewater leaves, this team could be good for a long time.

Matt Rhule deserves a lot more respect than what he’s been getting so far this season. Carolina looked like a team that would be in the running for the No. 1 overall pick and the rights to land Clemson sensation Trevor Lawrence in the draft. That won’t be the case now.

While Lawrence would have been nice for this team to have, Panthers fans should feel confident with this team moving forward. Bridgewater has played well and they can always try and trade up in a future draft for a quarterback when that time comes.

There’s a lot to like about the Carolina Panthers moving forward and Matt Rhule deserves a heap of praise for his efforts.