Are the Panthers Doomed for a Losing Season?

There’s no way to get around it: the Carolina Panthers have started the football season 0-3, and they’ve got to do some things very differently over the next several weeks to improve that record and have a shot at seeing the playoffs. The blame game is being centered around Jake Delhomme right now, but what about the fact that the Panthers just have a darned tough schedule this year? The NFC South champions in 2008, the Carolina Panthers are certainly a different team than they were last year, and some of it has to do with the team’s competition this year. Forbes listed the Panthers as one of the two NFL teams with the toughest schedules this season (along with the similarly-winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers,) and perhaps it’s worth a look at the schedule to help determine where the Panthers stand.

Two of Carolina’s losses so far this season could have swung either way, with a 28-20 loss to the Falcons in Week 2 and a 21-7 loss to the Cowboys in Week 3, but what’s in store for the rest of the season? The Panthers have a shot at redemption in Week 5 when they play the Washington Redskins, but taking a glance at the end of the regular season, the Panthers are sure to see some stiff competition when they face the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints in the last four weeks of regular season action. Does this mean that the Panthers are going to have a horrible season this year? No, they just need to pick it up if they’re going to survive the regular season with a winning record.

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