Carolina Panthers: 3 takeaways from Sunday’s loss
By Luke Tucker
Kyle Allen avoided the “killer” mistake
A week after what was unquestionably the worst performance of his NFL career, Kyle Allen bounced back in a huge way in New Orleans. The second-year quarterback finished the game 23-36 passing for 256 yards and three touchdowns–and most importantly, no picks. He even tacked on a nine-yard rush in what was his best game to date.
As far as arm talent goes, Allen proved long ago that he’s capable of playing in the NFL. What he had struggled with was his decision-making and his pocket presence. Those two issues lead to one of two things: turnovers or sacks, and unfortunately, Allen has had his share of both this season. On Sunday however, he seemed like a different player. For the most part, he took what the defense gave him, and didn’t try to force any throws as he did the past few games. Even his pocket presence was improved, as he did a much better job of escaping pressure, and avoided the game-altering turnovers that have haunted him for much of the year. He did take four sacks, although much of that can be attributed to terrible protection up front.
Following the embarrassment against Atlanta, perhaps no Panther needed a bounce-back performance as much as Allen did. Seven days after posting the worst game of his career, he roared back with his best, and nearly pushed Carolina over the top. He likely isn’t the quarterback of the future, but if Allen can consistently step in and play the way he did on Sunday, he’ll carve out a nice NFL career for himself. The talent is there, all he needs to do is avoid the killer mistake.