It’s over. The Panthers season is over. They traded their best player, Christian McCaffery to the 49ers. He is literally the only piece on their offense that can generate yards. I cannot express how disappointed I am when I heard that they traded CMC. I probably sat in shock for a good 5 minutes before completely going crazy. “How could they trade Christian McCaffery?” I hissed. Now, to let you know, I am a big CMC fan. My usernames in the past 3-4 years have been using the number 22 (his jersey number), including in Pokemon Sword where my player uniform was numbered 22.
To see him go to another team AND change his number was shocking. Christian McCaffery was a valuable, dynamic player that cannot be replaced. He will be missed in Carolina. I’m going to become a 49ers fan just because CMC is on that team. In the meanwhile, I will see the Panthers self-destruct to get whatever draft pick they want for a quarterback.
…Or so I thought. This was my reaction when hearing this information on the 20th of October when CMC got traded. Now, after what had happened on the Sunday after, my thoughts have changed slightly… okay, maybe drastically.
Just after CMC got traded, the Panthers played their best game of football this season and blew out the top runner for their division, the Buccaneers, 21-3 in a hugely dominant performance. If y’all didn’t know, the Buccaneers have Tom Brady, who is regarded as the best player to have played in the NFL, and they still didn’t score a touchdown. Now, you may say, “Well, the Bucs had a lot of key injuries in the defense and some offense,” but most injuries were in the secondary, and the Panthers beat the Bucs with mostly the run game. Hey, let a Panthers fan cope. This game was an overwhelming victory for the Panthers.
Let’s start with the Panthers offense. (What a great offense, by the way. Ignore any previous comments I have said about them.) After being shackled by the questionable playcalling, PJ Walker had a big game in his second start to the season, throwing for 177 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. PJ Walker played at an elite standard, removing a lot of doubt about his knack for making turnovers. Two key highlights were his passes to DJ Moore and Tommy Tremble for two touchdowns. DJ Moore had a better game, getting 69 yards on 7 catches with one for a touchdown, which is easily the best of his season. 
Tommy Tremble and Terrace Marshall Jr also got involved more often, which is great news after the trade of Robbie Anderson. But, probably, the most spectacular part was their running game. Chuba Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman ran for a combined 181 yards, on a defense that was supposed to be strong against the run. This was the highest of the season, and once again, AFTER TRADING AWAY CMC. What is going on in this team?
The defense also played a good game. While they didn’t get any turnovers, and they let Brady get his way on first and second downs, they stopped him on third and fourth down and didn’t let the Bucs see the endzone. This was partially because the Bucs’ offense slowed down after the missed catch by Mike Evans that would have been a touchdown, but I didn’t see the Bucs play offense for the rest of the game either. (Dang it, Evans, I have you on my fantasy team, you need to catch those!) However, the Panthers defense was about just as injured as the Bucs were. Jemery Chinn and Jaycee Horn, two big playmakers were out. The defense still played amazingly, and Brian Burns finally got what he wanted, a sack on Tom Brady.
Now somehow, the 2-5 Panthers are only one game away from leading the division and potentially going to the playoffs. Now, if the Bucs (3-4) lose to the Ravens (which they did), and the Panthers beat the Falcons, they will be leading the division with a 3-5 record, and only have wins against divisional opponents. The Panthers would be the only team in their division to be undefeated in their division.
This is one messed up season. Steve Wilks as an interim head coach got his first win, which is a big moment for him, and now that the Panthers lead their own destiny into the playoffs, I am not saying the Panthers suck anymore. I believe the Panthers, led by PJ Walker can make it to the playoffs… I swear I’m not a delusional Panthers fan.
Aarav, sorry to say, but you maybe are a delusional Panthers fan. All jokes aside, I was also very saddened when the Panthers traded McCaffrey, he was one of my favorite players and it sucked that injuries started to ruin his career in Carolina, so hopefully he stays healthy in San Fran. I was surprised by their win over the Bucs, but then again Mike Evans dropped something he catches 99/100 times and Tom brady was going through a divorce so maybe it wasn’t as surprising as originally thought. I also was happy with the Panthers win because: 1 the Panthers are my 2nd favorite team, and 2 I picked up d’onta foreman for my fantasy and so I’m glad that he did well. As much as I want the Panthers to do good however, it is not very realistic. While the Panthers almost beat the Falcons and if not for some unlikeness they would’ve walked away with a win, the Falcons are not a very good team and that is a must win game with the saints on the upswing and the bucs have too much talent not to improve. Sorry Aarav, but this season is more about seeing if PJ walker and D’onta foreman can be future cornerstones of the offense.
Nice post. I’m not a football fan, but I sympathize with your loss. If things are getting overwhelming, I recommend taking a short break.
I swear, I believe you’re not a delusional Panthers fan.
Best of luck.
Being real honest I am not anything close to a football fanatic. I have a fantasy team and watch some games here and there but thats it. I really enjoyed your intro becuase although I have no Idea who CMC is I can relate somewhat to the feeling that you described to feel in this blog. I am glad that the Panthers are pulling it together even after losing this player. I personally am a bears fan so I cant really understand much on how it feels to win but every once in awhile maybe. Maybe one day the team that I love will do something great but for now I enjoy reading about other teams that are actually able to make it through rough patches and losing key players. I think that they beat the Bucs because Brady is old. He may have been one of the best but his time is up. He is to sad about his wife divorcing him and that he is getting old that he doesn’t know how to throw a ball anymore.
While the decision to trade McCaffrey to the 49ers is certainly puzzling at first glance since the offense is centered around his ability to both run and catch out of the backfield, I see their angle the more I consider it. Carolina recognized they weren’t going anywhere right now, even in a bad NFC South, and cashed in on his value before the trade deadline passed. Even though you’re in my fantasy league (nice 7-3 record by the way), I never picked up on the fact that you were a Panthers fan or a McCaffrey fan, so learning that was an enjoyable little experience. On the flip side, I’m now somewhat surprised you didn’t take him 2nd overall. Was it the injury concerns that scared you away? Anyway, I think letting go of Matt Rhule sparked the Panthers’ offense (temporarily). If they can just learn to use D’Onta Foreman correctly, who looked productive in Derrick Henry’s absence for Tennessee last year, use DJ Moore correctly, who’s also looked very good up until this year, and figure out their QB situation (excuse my language, but what the hell is going on there?), then they have a chance at future success. Even with Brady and the Bucs looming, no one in the NFC South really scares me at the moment, so Carolina has likely their best shot at the division title next year since the Cam Newton era IF they can find a QB and maximize their offensive weapons. For my fantasy sake, I hope Foreman can be consistent, and for your sake, I hope the Panthers come in from the top rope and steal the South somehow.