Carolina Panthers: Kyle Allen Shows Why’s He’s the Backup Against San Fran

Carolina Trounced by San Francisco

The Carolina Panthers had every reason to believe that they had turned things around. They were coming off of a bye week with backup quarterback Kyle Allen winning four straight games to get the team back in the playoff hunt and the offense had turned around enough to look like it would usher in a new era at quarterback.

All of those feelings went away when the Panthers traveled to San Francisco Sunday and were trounced by the 49ers 51-13, ending the team’s four-game winning streak.

The Panthers were overwhelmed me from the start, as they were outscored 27-3 in the first half and allowed six sacks on the offense in the half, two of which came from 49ers rookie pass rusher Nick Bosa on one drive.

Allen Finally Showed Why He’s the Backup

Much of the talk during the Panthers’ recent streak revolved around whether or not Cam Newton should return as the starter once he’s finished recovering from his foot injury or keep Allen as the starting quarterback and “go with the hot hand”.

Allen was a mess in the game against the 49ers. The former Texas A&M quarterback threw his first interception of the season on the team’s first drive and finished with two more interceptions and no touchdowns. The only offensive player that actively produced was Christian McCaffrey, who had another solid performance with over 100 yards rushing on 14 carries and a touchdown.

Allen has always been prone to turnovers this season, however, as he had four lost fumbles in his first three games, giving him a total of seven turnovers in five games as the starter this season. With ball security issues against teams that are above average to great, it’s pretty clear that Allen will probably be relegated back to his backup role once Newton is healthy again.

Wow, Does the Defense miss Short

I thought to go into the season the Panthers would find a to use the defensive depth up front to wreak havoc on opposing rushing attacks, but it would appear the Kawann Short was the only major threat on the defensive line.

Since Short was placed on season-ending IR, the Panthers have allowed running backs to look like the second coming of Barry Sanders, as they have allowed seven touchdowns (combined rushing and receiving) to the opponent’s running backs over the last three games.

The worst came today when they allowed Tevin Coleman, who had been playing second fiddle for years behind Devonta Freeman in Atlanta, to go off for four total touchdowns.

A Silver Lining

There was one silver lining however in all of the slop on display Sunday was McCaffrey and the o-line have been able to open some serious running lanes against vaunted defenses.

McCaffrey now has more than 100 yards of total offense in nearly every game this season, and against a team that has one of the best defenses this season, it’s encouraging to see the team run the ball well against a solid front seven.

So What Now?

Now, the Panthers will have to regroup and get prepared for more questions about when Newton will be ready to play, as they will get ready to play the Tennessee Titans next, who have been struggling to get competent quarterback play from both Ryan Tannehill and Marcus Mariota.

It could prove to be a valuable tune-up game for the Panthers, as they will take on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers the following week at Lambeau Field.