The Carolina Panthers Are Actually Bad Right Now

The 41-38 shootout in New Orleans was a classic Carolina Panthers win—except, oh yeah, that's actually what happened last year. This season, however, the dramatic 41-38 Superdome thriller went to the Saints, and that encapsulates everything that's wrong with the Panthers in 2016.

It's not just that the Panthers defense was shredded by Drew Brees and the Saints' hot offense. It's not just that they allowed him to complete 69.4 percent of his 49 passes for an average of 9.5 yards per attempt. It's not just that the beleaguered secondary was roasted for long gains again and again, putting Cam Newton in a 21-0 hole:

.@drewbrees to @brandincooks down the sideline… EIGHTY-SEVEN YARDS. TD!!! #CARvsNO https://t.co/fZQbIsxmw9
— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2016

No, it's not just that Newton doesn't have as much time to throw as last year (though his protection is definitely worse), or his running game isn't taking any pressure off him (the team averaged 3.8 yards per carry against the league's 26th-ranked rushing defense), or that he's accumulating all the injuries he managed to avoid last season.

Newton's simply not playing as well—and that's the difference between the Panthers racking up double-digit wins (last year, definitively), and pushing towards double-digit losses (this year, more than likely).

Newton and the Panthers rallied back over the second, third, and fourth quarters today, with the defense finally forcing a turnover, and Jonathan Stewart capping off two touchdown drives. But 2015's No. 1 scoring offense couldn't keep pace with 2016's No. 2 scoring offense.

The Panthers front seven has a well-earned reputation for hard-nosed football, and they're even better against the run this year than last. But the loss of four of their top five defensive backs has decimated the Panthers' ability to stop drives and get off the field. They're now a bottom-third defense, putting much more pressure on the league's reigning MVP.

The Panthers are averaging only 4.5 fewer points per game this season, but that's been the difference between able to beat anybody, anywhere, playing anybody's game, and the opposite. If you ever doubted Cam's qualification for MVP last year, just recognize that he was able to generate that slim game-changing difference by finding an extra gear.

This year, if you add just 4.5 points to the Panthers' side of the ledger in each game, they're 4-2 instead of 1-5.

So yes, the Panthers are more talented than 1-5, just like they were lucky to finish 15-1 last year. But unless the secondary figures out how to cover speedy receivers, or Newton figures out how to generate more offense without getting himself injured, the downward spiral will continue.