CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers fans are going through another dismal season and the team's owner may have just summarized the year in just one word he was heard yelling after Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans.
"F---," Tepper yelled in the locker room, according to media members who were at the game.
Tepper's frustrations are warranted. He has seen the Panthers struggle to a 30-63 record ever since he bought the team in 2018, including the team's dreadful 1-10 showing this season.
Head coach Frank Reich has done little to put a winning product on the field as the team has put up some of the worst statistical outputs in franchise history.
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young, selected with the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, was chosen to be the player to lead the Panthers to multiple Super Bowls. However, Young has struggled to efficiently guide the offense this season.
In Young's defense, he has not had much help around him. The Panthers rank fourth-worst in rushing, have allowed the fourth most sacks, and have surrendered the third most points this season. Although, it's not fair to put this year's failures on the defense either. The Panthers defense ranks in the top 10 in yards allowed and passing yards allowed but has been let down by an inept offense.
The 2023 Panthers are a team that fans will quickly want to forget, but statisticians and cynical Carolinians alike can at least watch as the team sinks to lows that few teams in franchise history have resorted to.
In terms of the team's record, the Panthers are 1-10, the worst mark since 2010, when the team finished 2-14. The all-time worst Panthers season was 2001, when the team finished 1-15. The Panthers can sink lower than that if they lose every remaining game this season to finish 1-16.
During this futile season, the Panthers have put up just 15.7 points per game, which ranks fourth-worst in the league and second-worst in franchise history. The worst scoring season in Panthers history was 2010 when Carolina scored just 12.2 points per game.
Carolina has managed just 92.6 yards rushing per game this season, the fourth-lowest total in franchise history, and the worst mark since 2001 (85.8). The all-time worst rushing season for the Panthers came in 2000 when the team had just 74.4 yards rushing per game, which was still just the third-worst total in the league that season.
As mentioned above, Young and the Panthers have had a tough time passing the ball as well. The 2023 Panthers average just 173 yards a game, the fifth-worst mark in franchise history. The all-time worst passing season in Panthers history came in 2010 with 143 yards passing per game.
With those totals combined, the Panthers put up just 265.9 yards per game on offense, tied for the second-worst mark in franchise history. Once again, 2010 is the measuring stick for bad Panthers seasons, when the team managed just 258.4 yards per game.
While the Panthers defense has shown promise at times, the team still ranks third-worst in the NFL with 26.5 points allowed per game. It's also the third-worst mark in franchise history, with the 2019 Panthers holding the record at 29.4 points allowed.
One saving grace Panthers fans have when looking at awful seasons like 2001 or 2010 is that in the ensuing seasons, the team hired quarterbacks or personnel that guided the team to Super Bowls -- Cam Newton, Jake Delhomme, John Fox, etc. However, the 2023 Panthers just drafted the player they hope is that difference maker and believed their new coach would be so as well. The steps the team takes in the offseason could prove to be vital for the franchise's future.
But with the Panthers' track record under Tepper continuing to add mileage to the loss column, it's tough to see any signs of hope in the near future for Carolina.