Sep 14, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers 0-2 again 4th straight year, under 3 different head coaches

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 6:00 AM ET

The Carolina Panthers entered this NFL season looking to end the franchise’s current stretch of seven consecutive losing campaigns which dates back to 2018. Last Sunday did not go well. Dave Canales’s club trailed 20-3 at intermission on the way to a 26-10 loss at Jacksonville. It marked the fourth consecutive year that the club fell on opening weekend.

The team looked to bounce back on Sunday at Arizona. It was déjà vu all over again as the Panthers once again fell behind 20-3 after two quarters. Things only got worse as Canales’s team trailed by 24 points in the third quarter. Bryce Young and company would eventually respond with the final 19 points of the game and had their opportunities to pull off the comeback. They wound up coming up short by a final score of 27-22.

Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers are 0-2 out of the gate once again

For the fourth consecutive year, the franchise is off to 0-2 start—the last two under Canales. Of course, that was also the case for head coach Matt Rhule in what was his third season at the helm in ‘22. It was the same for Frank Reich in 2023, who actually dropped his first six games in a tenure that lasted just 11 outings.

But wait, there’s more. Rhule also lost his first two contests during his debut in 2020. And in what proved to be his final season with the club, Ron Rivera (the franchise’s all-time leader with 79 overall victories) dropped his first two games in 2019.

Is it any wonder that the Panthers now own a 36-82 overall record in their last 118 games—a dreadful .305 winning percentage—dating back to 2018? Then again, the team’s current woes obviously can’t be solely attributed to a slow start. Keep in mind that Rhule’s 2021 team actually got off to a 3-0 start before dropping 12 of their final 14 games. All told, it’s another disappointing beginning to a season in which there were some expectations following the club’s 2024 late-season surge.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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