The Carolina Panthers were expected to make another run at the Super Bowl this season. The defending NFC champions will now likely miss the playoffs.
The Panthers fell to 1-5 on the season with Sunday's 41-38 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
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Carolina's offense saw the return of MVP quarterback Cam Newton and running back Jonathan Stewart, but it was the defense that couldn't stop the Saints.
New Orleans (2-3) jumped out to a 21-0 lead before the Panthers finally got into a rhythm. Carolina was poised to tie the game with 9:38 remaining, but Graham Gano missed the extra point after Stewart's diving touchdown and the Saints clung to a 31-30 lead. Stewart finished with 85 yards on 19 carries after missing three games because of a hamstring injury.
Drew Brees, who threw for 465 yards and four touchdowns, led the Saints downfield on the ensuing possession. His 8-yard pass to tight end Josh Hill gave the Saints a 38-30 lead.
But Newton, who missed last week's game with a concussion, showed why he won the MVP last season, rushing for a touchdown one play after a Saints pass interference penalty put the Panthers at the 2-yard line. Newton then found Devin Funchess for a successful two-point conversion pass to tie it at 38-38. Newton threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns and an interception in a 27-for-47 game.
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But Brees picked apart a Panthers defense that was a strength of the team last season. Brees was 8 of 9 on the final drive to get the Saints in position for Wil Lutz's game-winning 51-yard field goal. The Panthers decided to let Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman walk in free agency. The secondary has been an issue all season and was torched by Saints receiver Brandin Cooks, who caught seven passes for 173 yards and an 87-yard touchdown on Sunday.
.@drewbrees to @brandincooks down the sideline...
— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2016
EIGHTY-SEVEN YARDS. TD!!! 😱 #CARvsNO https://t.co/fZQbIsxmw9
Only two teams in NFL history — the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs and 1970 Cincinnati Bengals — have started a season 1-5 and still made the playoffs.
Of the previous 12 teams to lose the Super Bowl and miss the playoffs the following season, nine of them had losing records. One of those teams was the 2004 Panthers, who went 7-9 a year after losing to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII. That team was the last defending conference champion to begin the following season 1-5.
The 2003 Oakland Raiders own the dubious distinction of the worst record in history coming off a Super Bowl appearance. The Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII and went 4-12 the following season.
If the Panthers, who have the bulk of their team back from last year, can't figure things out, it will be extremely difficult for them to even get to .500, much less reach the postseason.