| Team: | Carolina Panthers |
| Year: | 2012 |
| Record: | 7–9 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC South |
| Coach: | Ron Rivera |
| Owner: | Jerry Richardson |
| General Manager: | Marty Hurney |
| Stadium: | Bank of America Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Panthers seasons |
The 2012 season was the Carolina Panthers' 18th in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under head coach Ron Rivera. A day after the Panthers' loss to the Dallas Cowboys, general manager Marty Hurney was fired.[1] Until a new general manager was hired (that hire eventually being Dave Gettleman), director of football operations Brandon Beane served as interim general manager.[2] In a statistical rarity, the team lost the first 13 of their game-opening coin tosses, an event with a 1 in 8,192 probability. In the 13th game, the Panthers asked fans on Facebook to make the call, but the vote ended in a 50/50 tie.[3]
On January 30, 2012, the Panthers unveiled an updated version of the team's logo, the team's first logo change since the Panthers entered the NFL in .[4] The new logo would subsequently be added to the team's uniforms, around the stadium and on merchandise.
See main article: 2012 NFL draft.
The Panthers did not have a 3rd round selection.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | LB | Boston College | ||
| 2 | 42 | G | Midwestern State | ||
| 4 | 103 | DE | Oklahoma | ||
| 104 | WR | Arkansas | |||
| 5 | 143 | CB | Coastal Carolina | ||
| 6 | 207 | P | Wisconsin | ||
| 7 | 216 | S | California |
The Panthers finished with the same record and strength of schedule as the Miami Dolphins. This selection is the 9th, based on a coin toss at the NFL Scouting Combine won by Miami in March.
The Panthers finished with the same record and strength of schedule as the Miami Dolphins. This selection is the 40th, based on a coin toss at the NFL Scouting Combine in March won by the Miami Dolphins.
The team traded its sixth-round selection (#180) and their third-round selection in 2013 to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for their fourth-round selection (#103).
The Panthers received one compensatory pick for the 207 pick overall.
Looking to improve off of a 6–10 season from rookie coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton, the Panthers got off to a tough start. The Panthers began the season with a dismal 2–8 record through their first 10 games. The Panthers played competitively throughout most games the entire season with an exception of a 36–7 loss to the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants where the Panthers fell to a 20–0 deficit early in the game and could not recover. Many would turn to a victory on November 26 in a prime time match up against the struggling Philadelphia Eagles as the turning point in the season for the Panthers. With that win on Monday Night Football, the Panthers would go on to win 5 of their remaining 6 games, rattling off 4 victories in a row to finish the season, with one victory coming against the NFC's #1 seed Atlanta Falcons, the first win in the series for the Panthers since the 2009 season.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 11 | Houston Texans | L 13–26 | 0–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | August 17 | Miami Dolphins | W 23–17 | 1–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | August 26 | at New York Jets | W 17–12 | 2–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | August 30 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 16–17 | 2–2 | Heinz Field | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–16 | 0–1 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 16 | New Orleans Saints | W 35–27 | 1–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | New York Giants | L 7–36 | 1–2 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | ||
| 4 | September 30 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 28–30 | 1–3 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 5 | October 7 | Seattle Seahawks | L 12–16 | 1–4 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | Bye | ||||||
| 7 | October 21 | Dallas Cowboys | L 14–19 | 1–5 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | October 28 | at Chicago Bears | L 22–23 | 1–6 | Soldier Field | Recap | |
| 9 | November 4 | at Washington Redskins | W 21–13 | 2–6 | FedExField | Recap | |
| 10 | November 11 | Denver Broncos | L 14–36 | 2–7 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 21–27 | 2–8 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 30–22 | 3–8 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | ||
| 13 | December 2 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 21–27 | 3–9 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 9 | Atlanta Falcons | W 30–20 | 4–9 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | December 16 | at San Diego Chargers | W 31–7 | 5–9 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 23 | Oakland Raiders | W 17–6 | 6–9 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | December 30 | at New Orleans Saints | W 44–38 | 7–9 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
The Panthers started the season at 0–1 picking up their 4th straight regular season opening loss. Also, the team dropped to 0–11 in games where starting QB Cam Newton turns the ball over as he was picked off twice.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 1–1, snapping their 4-game losing streak against the Saints. Also, the team improved to 1–11 in games where Newton has at least 1 turnover.
With the huge loss on Thursday Night Football, the Panthers fell to 1–2. The team also dropped to 1–12 in games where Cam Newton has at least 1 turnover.
With their 5th straight loss to the Falcons, the Panthers fell to 1–3. Also, for the first time the team lost a game after Newton did not record a turnover.
With the loss, the Panthers head into their bye week at 1–4. Also, the team dropped to 1–13 in games where Newton has a least a turnover.
With the loss, the Panthers fell to 1–5 and also to 1–14 in games when Newton records a turnover.
With the surprising loss, the Panthers dropped to 1–6. Also, the team moves to 1–15 in games where Newton has a turnover.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 2–6. The team also improves to 7–1 in games where Newton does not turn the ball over. Because this was the Redskins' last home game before the 2012 election, the Redskins Rule incorrectly predicted that Mitt Romney would win the election, or Barack Obama would win the election while losing the popular vote.
With the loss, the Panthers fell to 2–7. The team also drops to 1–16 in games where Newton has a turnover.
With the loss, the Panthers fell to 2–8. Also, QB Cam Newton suffered being swept by all 3 division rival teams as the team dropped to 7–2 in games where he does not have a turnover.
With the win the Panthers improved to 3–8 and also 8–2 in games where Newton does not have a turnover.
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 3–9 securing them their 3rd straight losing season. They also dropped in records to 0–2 against the AFC West and 8–3 when Newton does not turn the ball over.
With the upset win, the Panthers improved to 4–9 and snapped their 5-game losing streak to the Falcons. Also, the team improved to 9–3 in games where Newton does not have a turnover.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 5–9 and 10–3 when Newton does not have a turnover. It also leaves the Panthers 1–2 against the AFC West.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 6–9 and 2–16 when Newton turns the ball over at least once. Also, the team finished the season 2–2 against the AFC West.
With the win the Panthers finished 7–9, good enough for 2nd place in the NFC South, and swept the Saints for the first time since 2008. Also, the team improved to 3–16 in games when Newton had a turnover. Also, Newton was one touchdown shy of being a 4th QB to have at least 20 passing touchdowns in his first 2 seasons as his total record of passing touchdowns stood at 19 while his rushing touchdowns stood at 8 leaving him with a failed improvement finishing with 27 total touchdowns.