In the midst of their now seven-game losing streak, the Carolina Panthers have experienced more than their share of heartbreak.
Whether it be a failed two-point conversion, a laughable blowout, or any of the myriad other ways this once 6-2 football team found to lose, there was always a different reason for the hurt.
But Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons still, somehow, produced its own excruciating breed of sadness — the kind that comes with finality.
Ignore for a second that with Sunday’s loss, Carolina is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. That, while painful, isn’t unique.