Ramblin' Fan
FanSided

2017 NFL Power Rankings: Los Angeles Rams Enter Offseason Near Bottom

By Dan Parzych

January 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) with the offense against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) with the offense against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
13 of 33
Next
Dec 19, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera (R) discusses a call with back judge Greg Meyer (78) during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera (R) discusses a call with back judge Greg Meyer (78) during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

21. Carolina Panthers

Of all the big surprises from the 2016 season, the Carolina Panthers were right near the top with the rest of them after failing to make the playoffs one year after representing the NFC in Super Bowl 50. What was even more surprising was to see the Panthers finish at the bottom of the NFC South with a 6-10 record, as Ron Rivera‘s squad just couldn’t overcome their unexpected 1-5 start.

So what exactly went wrong for the Panthers this time around? For starters, the defense was nowhere close to the dominant level from a year ago when they would constantly cause all sorts of problems for their opponents. Parting ways with Josh Norman at cornerback was a move Carolina believed they could afford to make, but that obviously was far from the case when seeing how much they struggled throughout the regular season.

To see Cam Newton go from recording 45 total touchdowns (including rushing) during his MVP season in 2015 to only 24 total touchdowns this season shows how quickly things can change in the NFL. When seeing how competitive Newton has been throughout his career, don’t be surprised if he uses what happened this year as motivation to make sure this team returns to their dominant ways.

Home/Rams News