Meaningful December football is fun
It's good to be back. Enjoy it.
For the first time in seven years, the Carolina Panthers are playing meaningful football in the month of December.
Before training camp began in July, President of Football Operations/General Manager Dan Morgan addressed the media. He read a 184 word prepared statement, which I found odd since the words “winning” and “playoffs” weren’t included.
Looking back at what Morgan said nearly five months ago, the vision is coming to life.
This season our goals are clear: improve our consistency, develop our young core, have our vets lead the way and compete every week with a relentless team first mindset. We’re committed to playing disciplined, physical football and creating a culture of high character and resilience. I have full confidence in our players, coaches and staff to rise to the occasion. Together, along with ownership empowerment, we aim to build a foundation for long term success while putting in the work and earning our arrival.
This team is getting contributions from their young core. Veterans like Chuba Hubbard, Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn are leading the way.
They are resilient, the only consecutive losses they’ve suffered this season were in weeks one and two.
The Panthers are 7-6 and tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the top of the NFC South with two of their remaining four games against the aforementioned Bucs.
In their wins, they’ve been physical with the run game.
If the Panthers want to win the division and make their first playoff appearance since 2017, they’ll need to string together some consecutive victories and end the up and down rollercoaster they’ve been on since mid-October. They’ll definitely have to earn their arrival over the final four weeks.
Enjoy the next four weeks. Fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about in nearly a decade and this is a fun team to root for despite some of the inconsistencies. There will be plenty of time to discuss fifth year options, free agents and draft picks in the offseason. But for now, enjoy the moment. The march to the playoffs starts in New Orleans on Sunday.