CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With Sunday's 30-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks, support for Steve Wilks becoming the permanent head coach of the Carolina Panthers is growing louder from fans and media pundits.
When Wilks was given the interim job in October, team owner David Tepper said it would take an "incredible job" for him to keep it permanently. After two months at the helm, Wilks has done pretty much all he can do to show he's the right candidate, including winning back-to-back games for the first time this season.
After taking over a 1-4 team that appeared to be heading nowhere, Wilks has rallied the Panthers to a 4-4 record since taking over with the team now sitting one game behind Tampa Bay in the race to win the NFC South. Should the Panthers close the season strong and win the division, they will host a playoff game on wildcard weekend. And with that, Wilks will have done enough to earn the job, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio says.
Carolina's offense controlled Sunday's matchup with Seattle, possessing the ball for 40 minutes. Wilks credited his players' resolve for sticking together through a tumultuous season.
"I'm just so thrilled and so happy for those guys in the locker room," Wilks said. "With everything that we've gone through, that they've gone through with the coaching changes, getting rid of players, 'is our organization trying to tank it?' all the different kind of things. To see how those guys respond, come out and play today, it's pretty emotional."
As for the players, it's safe to say they've bought in and are willing to fight for Wilks, who's hoping to parlay a temporary chance with his hometown team to a full-time job with a serious chance to compete in the NFL.
"We ride behind Wilks," Shaq Thompson told Panthers.com. "He came in here, he's a true alpha, he's a true leader, and guys follow behind him. He's done amazing. Look what we've been going through."
Tepper still hasn't publicly addressed Wilks' future since handing him the reins after firing Rhule. Heading into the team's bye week, Wilks said he and Tepper haven't talked much about the future, remaining focused on the present.
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