After an encouraging win on German soil, the Carolina Panthers returned home for the bye week sporting a disappointing, if not unsurprising, 3-7 record with 7 games yet to play. That said, the season was never expected to be the Panthers time to make a run for the NFC South title.
After a few seasons of shelling out far too much draft capital and free agency spending for far too little return, the Panthers needed a season of rehabilitation. A season to take their medicine and reset the franchise under a new regime. This season was all about evaluation.