2016 Carolina Panthers
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The 2016 season was the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
' 22nd in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) and their sixth under head coach
Ron Rivera Ronald Eugene Rivera (born January 7, 1962) is an American football executive and former professional player and coach who is the general manager for the California Golden Bears. He played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as ...
. It was also the team's 20th season at
Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium is a 74,867-seat multi-purpose stadium located on in the Uptown section of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is the home facility and headquarters of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL ...
. The previous year, the Panthers achieved their highest win total in franchise history with a 15–1 record, but lost to the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
in
Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) ...
. They entered the 2016 season as the defending
NFC NFC usually refers to: * Near-field communication, a set of communication protocols for electronic devices * National Football Conference, part of US National Football League NFC may also refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychol ...
champions and
NFC South The National Football Conference – Southern Division or NFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season when th ...
champions. After a 1–5 start, their worst start since
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, the Panthers finished the season at 6–10, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Panthers struggled throughout the season with injuries and loss of star players via free agency and retirement. The Panthers became the first team in NFL history to go 15–1 and miss the playoffs the following year and the first Super Bowl runners up to miss the next year's playoffs since the 2008 Patriots. They also failed to win the NFC South for the first time in three seasons. This was also the first team to have at least 15 wins and finish last in their division the following season. They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16 when they lost to the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
33-16.


Offseason

The Panthers had the most explosive offense in the NFL in the regular season, despite having subpar tackle play. The team did not add any tackles in free agency though, with left tackle
Michael Oher Michael Jerome Oher (; Williams Jr.; born May 28, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebel ...
instead getting a three-year contract extension worth $21.6 million with $9.5 million guaranteed. The Panthers also had top wide receiver
Kelvin Benjamin Kelvin Benjamin (born February 5, 1991) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles football, Fl ...
, who missed the entire
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
season due to an ACL tear, returning from injury. Another significant change in the off-season was the departure of starting
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
Josh Norman Joshua Ricardo Norman (born December 15, 1987) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft. ...
. Norman was named First-team
All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
in 2015 after allowing the lowest passer rating when targeted among NFL cornerbacks. The Panthers drafted corners
James Bradberry James Bradberry IV (born August 4, 1993) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Samford Bulldogs and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. Bradberry has also ...
,
Daryl Worley Daryl Worley (born February 22, 1995) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football at West Virginia, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. He has also played for the P ...
and
Zack Sanchez Zack Sanchez (born October 11, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. Early life Sanc ...
to compensate for the loss. The team also lost
Dwan Edwards Dwan Sedaine Edwards (born May 16, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was selected by the Baltimo ...
, a rotational
defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...
, in free agency and veteran
defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection, he recorded 136 car ...
to retirement. They drafted defensive lineman
Vernon Butler Vernon Butler Jr. (born June 14, 1994) is an American professional football nose tackle. He played college football for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, and was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. Early life ...
in the first round to add more talent to that position group.


Draft

Notes * The Panthers traded a conditional sixth-round selection to the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
in exchange for
defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection, he recorded 136 car ...
.


Staff


Final roster


Schedule


Preseason


Regular season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.


Game summaries


Week 1: at Denver Broncos

NFL Kickoff game NFL Kickoff Game is the name given to the first game of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the season is usually scheduled for the Thursday fol ...
The Panthers were up 17–7 in the fourth quarter which saw the Broncos put up 14 points. Down 21–20, Graham Gano attempted a potential game winning 50 yard kick but the kick was wide left, handing the Panthers a 0–1 start to the season.


Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers

In their home opener, the Panthers looked to win their first game of the season. Carolina went into the fourth quarter with a 21-point lead over the 49ers; with about eight minutes left in the game, San Francisco managed to get within seven of tying the game. Carolina ended up scoring three more times before the game finished and won 46–27, improving to 1–1 on the year.


Week 3: vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Panthers' fourteen home game winning streak came to an end after losing to Minnesota. They fell to 1–2 as
Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He is the NFL le ...
was sacked eight times by the Minnesota defense and threw three picks.


Week 4: at Atlanta Falcons

It was not Carolina's day as the defense had a very hard time putting pressure on Matt Ryan, who threw for 500 yards and four touchdowns, one of them to
Julio Jones Quintorris Lopez "Julio" Jones Jr. ( ; born February 8, 1989) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Atlanta Falcons. He played college foo ...
, who had a monster game, catching 12 passes for 300 yards. It was another rough day for Newton, who left the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter, allowing backup QB Derek Anderson into action. Anderson threw both a pair of touchdowns and interceptions as the Panthers would drop to 1–3.


Week 5: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After being held scoreless in the first half, the Panthers scored two touchdowns in the third quarter. Tampa Bay followed up with a touchdown to tie the game. Late in the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers made a field goal to win 17–14. With the loss the Panthers fall to 1–4.


Week 6: at New Orleans Saints

With Cam Newton returning from a concussion, the Panthers urged a late comeback and tied the game at 38–38, but New Orleans kicker Wil Lutz hit the gamewinner to seal the 41–38 victory for the Saints. With the loss the Panthers drop to 1–5, their worst record since 2012.


Week 7: Bye week

No game. Carolina had their
bye week In sport, a bye is the preferential status of a player or team that is automatically advanced to the next round of a tournament without having to play an opponent in an early round. In knockout (elimination) tournaments, byes may be assigned ei ...
on Week 7.


Week 8: vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Panthers returned from their bye week for a rematch of the previous year's
NFC Championship The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
game, in which the Panthers defeated the Cardinals 49–15. The Panthers went up 24–7 before halftime and maintained their lead to win the game 30–20, giving them their second win of the season and a 2–5 record. The game was flexed out of a 4:25 time slot.


Week 9: at Los Angeles Rams

After the Panthers went into the fourth quarter with a seven-point lead, Graham Gano kicked a field goal making it 10–0. After both teams kicked field goals, and with less than two minutes left in the game, Los Angeles scored a touchdown, but the Panthers manage to win 13–10 improving to 3–5.


Week 10: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Panthers went into the fourth quarter with a 17–3 lead over the Chiefs but things changed when Cairo Santos kicked a field goal, and
Eric Berry James Eric Berry (born December 29, 1988) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Safety (gridiron football position), safety for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played co ...
had a pick six. Santos makes another field goal, tying the game at 17. In the Panthers' last possession of the game, the ball was stripped out of
Kelvin Benjamin Kelvin Benjamin (born February 5, 1991) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles football, Fl ...
's hands and Kansas City recovered to set up the game-winning field goal.


Week 11: vs. New Orleans Saints

After their embarrassing 17-point comeback loss four days prior, the Panthers hosted the Saints in a Thursday Night 'Color Rush' Matchup. Just like in the Chiefs game, the Panthers went into the fourth quarter holding New Orleans to only three points. They had a 23–3 lead but the Saints managed to rally and get within three with 5:11 left in the game. Late in the fourth quarter star linebacker
Luke Kuechly Luke August Kuechly ( ; born April 20, 1991) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire eight-year career as a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Kuechly played college footb ...
left the game and was evaluated for a concussion. The Panthers were able to hold off New Orleans and win 23–20, improving to 4–6.


Week 12: at Oakland Raiders

Carolina had a rough start in the first half, only scoring seven points, and went into halftime seventeen points behind Oakland. They turned things around and had an explosive third quarter scoring eighteen points giving them a one-point lead over the Raiders. In the fourth quarter the Panthers went on to score seven but the Raiders answered back tying the game. In their last possession of the game the ball was taken from Cam Newton giving Oakland the ball back. Carolina could not hold on as Oakland kicked a field goal winning the game. They fall to 4–7.


Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks

The Panthers were defeated by the Seahawks 40–7, and fell to 4–8.


Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers

The Panthers managed to win at home, defeating San Diego 28–16. They improved to 5–8.


Week 15: at Washington Redskins

In their second ''
Monday Night Football ''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...
'' game of the season, the Panthers took on the Washington Redskins at FedExField in Landover, Maryland. Carolina defeated Washington 26–15, and kept their slim chances of making the playoffs alive by improving to 6–8.


Week 16: vs. Atlanta Falcons

With the loss, the Panthers fell to 6–9, officially eliminating them from the playoffs. They are the first team to go 15–1 the previous season and miss the playoffs the next season, as well as the first Super Bowl runner-up to miss the playoffs since the 2008 Patriots.


Week 17: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Carolina attempted to win on a game-winning 2-point attempt but Newton's pass failed, giving the Bucs a narrow 17–16 victory. The Panthers finish the season at 6–10, the worst record for a team that went 15–1 the previous season.


Standings


Division


Conference


References


External links

* {{2016 NFL season by team Carolina Carolina Panthers seasons
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...