False Spring?

Renewed Hope or False Spring?

Given the last seven years, it’s both easy to get excited for any signs of hope for improvement. But, it’s also fair for anyone to wonder if the Atlanta game was an aberration, which we’ve seen on occasion in the last three years. Think Green Bay game in 2023, and the progress at the end of last year that everyone hoped would carry over, but clearly didn’t.

I happen to believe that this team is closer to the one that we saw over the last six quarters than the first, but only time will tell.

The Panthers face a 1-2 New England Patriots this Sunday and you might be tempted to think that the Panthers will walk away with a win. And, they just might. But don’t overlook the Patriots strong run defense or the fact that this is the third road game in four weeks. This team hasn’t done great on the road and you’re just as likely to see a regression as a continuation of what we saw this past week.

But, I can’t help but think back to last year and remember that this team thrives with momentum, which they clearly have going into this week’s game. Let’s hope that they continue that trend and walk away with another confidence building win as they go into a stretch of winnable games. Hope springs eternal, after all, and it’s a lot more fun than finding out it was just a false spring in the midst of a long, hard winter.