The Carolina Panthers Week 17 loss to the New Orleans Saints by a 42-10 count was a fitting way to complete what ended up being a miserable year.
The Panthers were never in the game and showed little, except for Christian McCaffrey. Carolina has to be listed as one of the worse teams in the NFL as it ends the campaign with an eight-game losing streak and a 5-11 record.
It is hard to believe this team was actually 5-3 a few months ago. New owner David Tepper now owns the only franchise in the league that has not won a game for the past two months.
What will Tepper do this offseason is now the question? Will he and the Panthers rebuild the roster or try to retool and win with the current crop of veterans? Will Tepper choose a veteran coach like Josh McDaniels or Mike McCarthy? Or will he follow the recent fad of chase down an offensive-minded coach out of college? Will he move forward with Cam Newton at quarterback or use a first round pick on a quarterback?
We will find out soon enough.
McCaffrey Makes History
Before I move on with the accomplishments of Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers, let me ask the following question. Where would the Panthers be without him? The shelf life of a runningback in the NFL is a short one and it is a shame that Carolina is not playing football in January when McCaffrey is at the peak of his career.
Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey, in the finale, became the third player in NFL history to reach 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. He joins former San Francisco 49er Roger Craig, who first reached those figures in 1985, and former St. Louis Ram Marshall Faulk matched the milestone in 1999.
McCaffrey finished the 2019 season with 1,387 rushing yards. He caught 116 passes for 1,005 yards and recorded 19 touchdowns.
2019 Bowl Season
The College Bowl season is in high gear with the better match-ups starting up this week.
Here are some early thoughts. The Clemson-Ohio State game was a classic. The Tigers were outplayed most of the way but found a way to win against a very good Buckeyes team. Clemson will enter the National Title Game on a 29-game winning streak. The Tigers will square off against the LSU Tigers. LSU totally outclassed Oklahoma in the other semifinal match-up, winning 63-28, after tallying 49 points in the first half.
Clemson-Ohio State Game
Thus far, the ACC is 3-2 in Bowl Games with wins coming from Pitt, North Carolina and Clemson. The Big Ten, despite Ohio State’s loss, are 3-1. Michigan State beat Wake, Iowa surprised USC, and Penn State put 53 points on the board against Memphis. The SEC is off to a 2-0 start while Oklahoma helped the Big 12 get off to a 0-3 start.
