The defending NFC champs are in trouble. After losing 48-33 to the Falcons, the Panthers now sit three games behind Atlanta for first place in the NFC South. Even worse for Carolina, it looks like a 1-3 team. The defending NFC champs just aren’t a very good football team right now, and here are three reasons why…
1. The Panthers have no pass rush
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This has been a problem for Carolina going back to last year. The Panthers are weak at the defensive end position, which has made it difficult for the team to pressure opposing quarterbacks without blitzing. Charles Johnson is washed up. Kony Ealy has been inconsistent. And teams have been able to throw double teams at Kawann Short, the team’s lone pass rushing threat.
Falcon center Alex Mack had no problem recognizing the Panthers’ blitzes and changing the protection to pick them up. Ryan, who was sacked only twice, was able to sit back in the pocket and pick an undermanned secondary apart, throwing for 503 yards and three touchdowns. And by sending an extra rusher, the Panthers could not play a safety over the top of Julio Jones, who had a career-high 300 yards receiving and a touchdown.
(And before we start the “they missed Josh Norman” talk, remember: Jones had 178 yards the last time these teams played. Nobody was slowing Jones down today.)
It’s hard to blame defensive coordinator Sean McDermott for taking the approach he did. When Carolina rushed just four, Ryan had too much time. Had McDermott called a conservative game, I’m not sure the Panthers defense would have been able to get the Falcons off the field at all — not that the blitzes were very effective either.
2. The offensive line can’t protect Cam Newton
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You know your offensive line has a problem when the Falcons, who haven’t had a pass rush since John Abraham left town, are collapsing the pocket almost every down. Michael Oher was out injured, which sent human turnstile Mike Remmers over to the left tackle spot and Daryl Williams into the starting lineup at right tackle, weakening an already suspect offensive line.
Dwight Freeney abused Remmers on Newton’s blindside. He picked up just a single sack but was unblockable for most of the game, continuing the trend of the Panthers struggling with star pass rushers. The box score doesn’t really do the Falcons pass rush any justice. Cam Newton was sacked only once, but he could never get comfortable and he took another beating after the Vikings and Broncos battered him in Weeks 1 and 3.
3. Newton hasn’t been good
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Newton is just not comfortable in the pocket right now. With the way he’s been hit this season, that’s certainly understandable but not excusable.
You can see the lack of comfort in Newton’s feet. He’s throwing off his backfoot, his front foot is rarely in the correct position and he’s missing far too many open throws as a result. The Panthers have left a lot of points on the board this because of Newton’s inaccuracy. He missed a number of key third-down throws on Sunday that may have changed the outcome of the game had he connected on them.
With the passing game sputtering, the Panthers haven’t been able to fall back on the usually reliable running game. Carolina is struggling without Jonathan Stewart, who’s been out since Week 2. The team is averaging fewer than four yards per carry over the last two weeks after Atlanta held their backs to just 19 yards on the ground. Newton accounted for 30 of the team’s 49 yards.
Carolina is struggling on both sides of the ball, and unless there is a stud defensive end or offensive tackle hidden somewhere on the roster, there isn’t a clear solution to the team’s many problems.
