Rhule: Panthers making progress even though 'no one can see it'

Head coach Matt Rhule defended his rebuilding program Sunday after the Carolina Panthers lost for the 10th time in their last 12 games.

"I believe it's 1000% working, I just know no one can see it and I apologize," the second-year head coach told reporters, courtesy of WCNC's Nick Carboni.

The Panthers were on the receiving end of a 32-6 beatdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16, resulting in their fifth consecutive defeat. Carolina began the season with three straight wins but has since tumbled out of the playoff picture.

The Panthers hired Rhule in 2020 after he earned a reputation at the college level as an elite program builder. He went 5-11 in his debut campaign in Carolina and is now 10-21 with two games left in the season.

The 46-year-old likened the Panthers' progress to the ascension of Grammy-winning rapper and Roc Nation agency founder Jay-Z.

"As I tell our team all the time, it took Jay-Z seven years," he said. "He had to start his own agency to become famous, to become an overnight sensation. It takes time."

The Panthers will close out their schedule on the road against the New Orleans Saints and Buccaneers.