Titans vs. Panthers: What’s different since last meeting in 2015?
By Brady Akins
Where are the Panthers now?
The Panthers will come into their game against the Titans fielding a competitive 4-3 team, but that has taken a step back since their 2015 run at the Super Bowl.
The offense has been completely revamped in the four years since the teams last played, with the biggest change being at running back.
Carolina replaced Jonathan Stewart with the dynamic, play-making talents of Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey has played like an MVP candidate through the team’s first seven games and has carried an offense that has had to overcome the loss of their quarterback.
Cam Newton came into the Panthers’ 2019 season as the starter and is expected to retake the position at some point this year. But for this week’s game, the Titans will be seeing Kyle Allen under center for the Panthers.
Allen has played well enough on the season to get the Panthers to a 4-1 record since he took over as the starter, but is coming off of a rough game against San Francisco. The first-year starter went 19-of-37 for just 158 passing yards, as well as three interceptions and no touchdown throws.
While Ron Rivera remains the head coach for the Panthers, both his coordinators have changed since 2015. Norv Turner has taken over the Panthers offense, while Eric Washington has taken over the Carolina defense after Sean McDermott took the head coaching job in Buffalo.
The Carolina defense has taken a noticeable step back after McDermott left. While still a strong group, the Panthers are ranked 17th in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed per game. The unit still has talented players like Luke Kuechly and Mario Addison, but has regressed along with the rest of the team since they last played Tennessee.