Struggling Panthers limp into bye week having lost 7 of 9

By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian used to repeat an old adage: you never want to get too high in the NFL because you’re only two weeks away from disaster. The Carolina Panthers are learning that firsthand. Two weeks after going to Arizona and pounding the one-loss, injury-riddled Cardinals behind the return of Cam Newton, the Panthers now find themselves on a two-game skid entering the bye week and without star running back Christian McCaffrey and No. 1 cornerback Donte Jackson for the remainder of the season because of injuries. The Panthers are 5-7 and still mathematically alive in the NFC playoff race, but this is a team that is trending in entirely the wrong direction.