Carolina Panthers: Need to Return to the Model
The Carolina Panthers revealed a lack of the Panther way in their loss to Minnesota.
If there is one takeaway from the Carolina Panthers loss to the Minnesota Vikings it is that the Panthers were outplayed at Panther football. Panther football is a ball control game plan where defense holds the line and the offense is supposed to generate just enough offense to win while not giving the ball to the other team.
To some extent Cam Newton changes that calculus. He is more playmaker than caretaker at quarterback. As a result the Panthers were the most productive offense in the league last year. The Panthers were also rated high in turnover margin, and the defense gave the ball to Newton in good spots.
Yesterday the Panthers played to form for about a quarter and a half. They were up 10-0. Penalties took back Fozzi Whittaker’s touchdown. Graham Gano missed a fifty-four yard field goal. These were chinks. Then the Panthers did something that they could not do. They gave away eight points to Minnesota. The Panthers are not built to give away points to anybody. It did not matter that the Vikings did not have Adrian Peterson.
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That is because the Vikings gameplan was straight out of the Panthers formula. Linval Joseph took up space and Bryan Robison got to the quarterback. The Vikings could use their linebackers to cover or utilize the nickel in more situations. Panthers wide receivers could not get open consistently.
That includes not giving the ball away. Where the Panthers surrendered a punt return and a safety, the Vikings finally got their act together to get enough offense to get twelve more points. Meanwhile their defense got more pressure and Newton threw more picks.
The Panthers need to get their identity back. It is not something that just requires a healthy Jonathan Stewart. It comes from not getting turnovers and penalties, and it means getting more interior pressure on defense to unleash the defensive ends. The Panthers are not out of anything at 1-2, but the team is 1-2 against teams without last year’s starting quarterback.
Next: Panthers lose to Vikings
Fortunately the Panthers are not fundamentally broken. That means that they can fix it, but the team needs midseason form tomorrow.