The Carolina Panthers clinched a seventh consecutive losing season last night. We all expected that to happen, possibly even sooner than Week 13, but it hurts all the more because they were, as one former Panthers coach might have said, just a few missed opportunities away from victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A win last night would have been a perfect chapter in Bryce Young’s development over the 2024 season. It would have moved the Panthers to 4-8, tied for third in the NFC South with an outside shot at unseating the Atlanta Falcons, who are currently on their own three-game losing streak, from the division lead come January.