There were no “What did you see on the tape that you didn’t see from the sideline?” softballs to ease into Matt Rhule’s press conference Monday after the 26th loss in his 37 games as an NFL head coach.
The first two questions Rhule faced after the latest defeat — a 26-16 decision to an Arizona team that had dropped six in a row to the Panthers — were about his job security. These same principles were followed by many more.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself, our staff and our players. I think everyone here’s aligned,” Rhule said. “Our team will respond. They always do.”
The Panthers’ response has typically been lukewarm, at best: They are 5-18 following a loss under Rhule, who was hired in 2020 after overseeing successful turnarounds at Temple and Baylor.
Rhule’s college teams made their biggest jumps in his third season. The Panthers (3-3) are in a hole early in the season due to poor quarterback play. Baker MayfieldThe NFL’s worst third-down offense, which has forced the defense to stay on the field too long.
Sunday’s loss was the Panthers’ 10th in their last 11 games. The end of the Cardinals game, the few fans who remained at Bank of America Stadium booed for much of the fourth quarter and some struck up a couple of “Fire Matt Rhule!” chants.
David Tepper is the Panthers’ owner
