Earlier this week, news dropped that the Carolina Panthers would be featured on the 2019 edition of Amazon’s All or Nothing series.
For the series’ fourth season, the crew will recount the Panthers’ 2018 season. There are bound to be plenty of highs and lows. Here are six things we look forward to seeing on the show.
The ascension of D.J. Moore
After taking a backseat to other receivers in the first half of the season, D.J. Moore would burst onto the scene in Week 11 against the Lions with a seven catch, 157-yard and one touchdown performance. The rookie would finish the season with 55 receptions for 788 yards and two touchdowns, along with multiple highlight-reel worthy plays. His big runs after the catch no doubt brought exciting reactions from his teammates, which we will get to see behind the scenes.
Donte Jackson’s big moments
Of the five cornerbacks taken since Josh Norman’s departure, Donte Jackson was the first to truly take up his swagger and attitude. Putting up a 74 tackle, four interception rookie season, Jackson made a legitimate case for defensive rookie of the year. Among his most notable games were his two-interception performance versus the Bengals Week 3 and his 98 yard two-point conversion pick in Week 15.
Graham Gano’s game winner vs. Giants
In one of the most exciting moments in franchise history, kicker Graham Gano was forced onto the field with six seconds left, trailing the Giants 31-30. Gano had to make a 63-yard kick to ice the game. The field goal attempt was good with room to spare, pushing the Panthers to a 3-1 record and solidifying them as early contenders in the NFC. Seeing the team celebrate this moment in the locker room should be worth the price of admission.
The mid-season peak
In Weeks 7-9, the Panthers peaked. First, they rallied back from a 17-point deficit against the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles. Then, they would blowout the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers back-to-back, scoring 78 points to their opponents’ 49 in the two-game span. Carolina looked like it was going to be a legitimate championship contender for the first time since 2015 at this point in the season.
Cam Newton’s shoulder injury
From here on out, it was downhill. The second half of the series will likely be much more unpleasant for fans to watch. The problems began in a Week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rumored to be caused by the big T.J. Watt sack with 1:27 left in the first half, Newton’s throwing shoulder was hurt, causing him to lose velocity and accuracy on his throws for the rest of the season. Carolina lost the game by 31 points and got sent into a tailspin it never recovered from.
The fallout from losing 7 in a row
Beginning with the rout by the Steelers, the team’s confidence began to fall apart. The Panthers lost their next seven games and Newton was eventually shut down for the season. Taylor Heineke would be injured while struggling against the Falcons and Kyle Allen was also injured while leading the team to a meaningless Week 17 win against the Saints. Seeing how the team’s coaching staff and players dealt with the losing streak should be interesting.
