Finished: 3rd Place in the NFC South
2012 Draft Position: 8th
Preseason Ranking: 31
Week 1: Lost at the Arizona Cardinals, 28-21
Ranked - 26
Cam Newton for 400+ yards and three total scores. Not a bad first day of work. If he is able to lead the Panthers to a fraction of that yardage this week against the Packers then he might truly be the quarterback of the future.
Week 2: Lost to the Green Bay Packers, 30-23
Ranked - 27
400+ yards against the Cardinals is one thing, 400+ yards against the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, totally different. Despite Cam Newton's jaw-dropping stat lines, the bottom line remains that the Panthers are 0-2 and play in a stacked division. They will not go 1-15 this year, but they are still at least one year away from being a serious contender for the division title.
Week 3: Defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 16-10
Ranked - 25
Note to self: Points matter more than passing yards. Seems counterintuitive, but isn’t. Signed, Cam Newton.
Week 4: Lost at the Chicago Bears, 34-29
Ranked - 24
The stats are impressive, but where are the wins? A video-game like matchup against the Saints this week will end with the Panthers staying true to form - statistically superb, but failing on the one stat that really matters: points scored.
Week 5: Lost to the New Orleans Saints, 30-27
Ranked - 25
The elusive wins continue to evade Cam Newton and company, but if the stats keep piling up week-to-week, eventually the Panthers will break through.
Week 6: Lost at the Atlanta Falcons, 31-17
Ranked - 28 Indiana Jones Style Recap
Steve Smith: You know how to win, don't you?
Cam Newton: Um, no. Do you?
Week 7: Defeated the Washington Redskins, 33-20
Ranked - 25
At 2-5, the playoffs are a long-shot, but Carolina is building a team here with Cam Newton that could be a force to be reckoned with next season.
Week 8: Lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 24-21
Ranked - 24
All the stats don't mean anything if you can't be ahead on the scoreboard when it matters most. The Panthers have another week to stew before they can try and get back into the win column.
Week 9: BYE WEEK
Ranked - 21
A bye week should have given them time to figure how exactly they can turn their stats into victories.
Week 10: Lost to the Tennessee Titans, 30-3
Ranked - 27
Everybody, including the Panthers, expected more from Carolina coming out of their bye week.
Week 11: Lost at the Detroit Lions, 49-35
Ranked - 28
It's still surprising the Panthers only have two wins after how impressive Cam Newton has been all season.
Week 12: Defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 27-19
Ranked - 26
Cam Newton continues to rack up the stats, but it's difficult to crown him rookie of the year, since Andy Dalton has the Bengals in the playoff hunt.
Week 13: Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38-19
Ranked - 24
A few more wins - and Cincinnati's struggles - should make Cam Newton a lock for Rookie of the Year.
Week 14: Lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 31-23
Ranked - 24
Carolina was so close to ruining Atlanta's playoff chances. The Panthers need to learn how to close out games. It's not enough to lead them. You have to win them.
Week 15: Defeated the Houston Texans, 28-13
Ranked - 22
I don’t know what the heck that trick play was, but it was definitely entertaining!
Week 16: Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 48-16
Ranked - 21
A Panthers victory will depend on how long Brees and the other Saints starters stay on the field.
Week 17: Lost at the New Orleans Saints, 45-17
Final Ranking: 23
Tomorrow, the 2011 Miami Dolphins...
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