Christian McCaffrey, Ian Thomas lone bright spots in Sunday’s loss
By Luke Tucker
The Carolina Panthers were blown out 40-20 in Atlanta on Sunday in what was an all-around ugly game.
In the Carolina Panthers’ first game since firing long-time head coach Ron Rivera, the Panthers were thoroughly whipped by a pitiful Falcons team. Atlanta has just four wins all year, with two of those coming against Carolina. The Panthers continued to implode, as they’ve now lost five-straight. Kyle Allen should be considered no more than a backup, and the run game is atrocious. Allen committed three of the team’s four turnovers, was sacked five times, and continues to be an anchor that is holding back what could be a dynamic Panthers offense.
Saying Allen alone cost the team the game is unfair, as Carolina’s defense gave up 40 points, and allowed a team averaging just 74 rushing yards per game to run for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Special teams miscues didn’t help either, nor did Donte Jackson–the team’s second-round pick in 2018–who continues to get beat in coverage downfield. The Panthers are a bad football team, and, quite frankly, are painful to watch. Perhaps the only bright spots in Sunday’s blowout loss were from their stud running back and an injury-replacement tight end.
Christian McCaffrey and Ian Thomas played well against the Falcons, even when the players around them didn’t.
For the 11th time in 2019, Christian McCaffrey racked up more than 100 yards of offense on Sunday. The star running back rushed 11 times for 53 yards, and had 10 receptions for 77 yards. It was just the fourth game all year in which he was unable to reach the end zone–in large part due to the stagnant offense around him. McCaffrey was the team’s second-leading receiver, and continued to serve as Allen’s safety blanket. In total, the third-year back accounted for almost 40% of the team’s offensive yards against Atlanta.
A player with a surprisingly good performance on Sunday was second-year tight end Ian Thomas. Prior to Greg Olsen suffering a concussion last weekend, Thomas had been a complete non-factor in 2019. In fact, before last Sunday’s game, he had just one reception for four yards all season. After Olsen went down, he had four catches for 24 yards in relief. Against Atlanta, Thomas posted five receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown. His 10 targets were more than he had seen in the rest of the season combined. Another Panther with a disappointing season thus far, it was nice to see Thomas break out of his shell a bit.
Carolina will return home next Sunday to host the Seahawks
If the final four games of the 2019 campaign are to be auditions for Perry Fewell and other members of the Panthers’ staff, it’s safe to say it got off to a very rocky start. As noted earlier, the Panthers defense was gashed by a bad running team, and Matt Ryan threw the longest touchdown pass of his career. Carolina won’t be favored to win another game this year, and next weekend’s matchup with Seattle could turn into yet another embarrassment at home. The Seahawks currently sit at 10-3 and in the thick of the NFC playoff fight–even after a two-touchdown loss on Sunday night. Seattle has yet to lose back-to-back games this season.