| 2019 Carolina Panthers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | David Tepper |
| General manager | Marty Hurney |
| Head coach | Ron Rivera (fired Week 13; 5–7 record) Perry Fewell (interim, 0–4 record) |
| Home field | Bank of America Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 4th NFC South |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | ILB Luke Kuechly RB Christian McCaffrey G Trai Turner (alternate) |
| AP All-Pros | RB, Flex Christian McCaffrey (1st team) ILB Luke Kuechly (2nd team) |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2019 season was the Carolina Panthers' 25th in the National Football League (NFL), and their ninth and last under head coach Ron Rivera. The Panthers played in London as part of the NFL International Series for the first time in franchise history.[1] This for first time since 2004 Thomas Davis was not on the opening day roster and for first time since 2006 Ryan Kalil was not on the opening roster.
Despite suffering their first 0–2 start since 2013, they had a 5–3 record coming into week 10 of the season. However, their futility from the previous year repeated itself. They suffered an eight-game losing streak (their worst since 2001, where they finished 1–15) to end the season badly with a 5–11 record. Not only were they unable to improve upon their 7–9 record from the previous season, but they were also mathematically eliminated from postseason contention for the second consecutive season and for the third time in the past four seasons after losing to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 in 2015 (they finished the season with a 15–1 record) after a 20–40 loss to division rivals Atlanta Falcons coming into Week 14 of the season. After a Week 4 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 6, 2019, head coach Ron Rivera surpassed John Fox to become the franchise's winningest head coach of all time. However on December 3, two days after a loss to the Washington Redskins, Rivera was fired after nearly nine seasons as head coach and due to new ownership wanting a change within the organization.[2][3] Cam Newton suffered a season-ending foot injury after playing in the first 2 weeks of the season, and was replaced by rookie quarterbacks Will Grier and Kyle Allen. On October 7, Kyle Allen became the first undrafted quarterback to win their first 4 starts since Kurt Warner did so during the St. Louis Rams' 1999 Super Bowl-winning season.
The 2019 season marked the end of an era for the Panthers franchise. In addition to it being Rivera's final season in Carolina, it was also linebacker Luke Kuechly's final season in the NFL, as he retired following the conclusion of the season.[4] It was also the final season of Cam Newton's first tenure in Carolina; he would re-sign with the team during the 2021 season.
- ^ Gordon, Grant. "NFL announces matchups for international games". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
- ^ Schad, Tom (December 3, 2019). "Carolina Panthers fire coach Ron Rivera after nearly 9 years". USA Today. Gannett Co., Inc. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Panthers eliminated from playoffs in 40-20 loss to Atlanta". CBS 17. Nexstar Media Group. Associated Press. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Panthers LB Luke Kuechly announces retirement at 28". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. January 14, 2020. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.