NFL
By Allan Erickson
Yes, the season is young. However, the last time the Carolina Panthers started the season 2-0 was in 2017, (also the last time the team made the postseason.) There are still some things to clean up for the Panthers, but this fan base has optimism it’s been missing for quite some time. In this article, I’ll talk about the best of the Panthers so far, and a couple of areas they’ll need to improve to be serious contenders in the NFC.
It would be easy to start with the quarterback play for the Panthers, but I’m going to table that for later. The most important reason the Carolina Panthers have started with two consecutive wins is Phil Snow’s defensive play-calling, and the execution the Panthers are getting on the defensive side of the football. Most fans believed this defense would be much improved from last year, maybe even top 1/3 of the league, statistically speaking. Nobody thought that through two weeks of play, the Panthers defense would lead the league in: -Yards allowed per game -Points allowed per game -Rushing yards allowed per game -Passing yards allowed per game -Sacks -Quarterback hits -Defensive third-down percentage Credit Phil Snow and Matt Rhule for building this defense through the draft and free agency. Players are making immediate impacts and great strides, despite being the youngest roster in the NFL.
Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn have been very formidable outside corners. Jeremy Chinn is a superstar in the making patrolling all over the field from his free safety position. The biggest turnaround for the defense has been the play of the front seven. Off-season additions Hasson Reddick and Morgan Fox have played huge roles in terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. Brian Burns is one of the most underrated pass rushers in the NFL. Derrick Brown has taken a huge step forward in his gap control, making sure he’s clogging up the correct running lanes. Daquon Jones, Daviyon Nixon, and Yetur Gross-Matos have provided quality reps when rotating in. Panthers fans have always wanted more from Shaq Thompson. While he’s always been a consistently good football player, he’s a linebacker with safety speed and elite coverage skills, fans have always expected more splash plays from him. This year, they’re getting it all from Shaq. The defense is a huge reason the Panthers have two wins on the season, but they’re not doing it by themselves.
Unlike Teddy Bridgewater last season, the Panthers are seeing a quarterback who wants to throw the ball down the field and is taking his check-downs when necessary. I’m happy for the success Teddy is having in Denver, but last season the Panthers had 2 wide receivers over 1.,000 yards. Between Robby Anderson and DJ Moore’s 2,289 combined yards, 904 were racked up after the catch. This year, the Panthers are watching Sam Darnold throw strikes down the field to Moore, Anderson, Terrace Marshall Jr, Dan Arnold, Brandon Zylstra, and Ian Thomas. Darnold is completing 68.5% of his passes, with 584 yards and 3 touchdowns. His passer rating with the Jets was under 78. In his first two games as a Panther, his passer rating is 100.5 and he’s not making crucial mistakes. Darnold only has one turnover on the season. Most importantly, he realizes that at his disposal is, perhaps, the best safety net in the entire NFL in Christian McCaffery. He’s not forcing the ball to CMC, but when the deep shots are covered, he’s taking his check downs, and sustaining drives.
The skill-position is elite for the Carolina Panthers with all of the above players mentioned being great offensive weapons. The biggest question mark for this team coming into the season was- Which Sam Darnold will the Panthers get? The one with untapped potential and a great ability to go win you football games? Or the Darnold we saw with the Jets? So far, the Panthers have gotten more than enough from their quarterback, something we haven’t been able to say about the Panthers since Cam Newton won the MVP in 2015.
Darnold wasn’t the lone question mark coming into 2021. The Panthers offensive line was not very good on paper. They were demolished by sportswriters everywhere for their acquisitions of Cameron Erving and Pat Elflein. So far, the Panthers’ o-line has performed admirably to anyone watching their games. Darnold has been sacked 3 times, he’s been pressured 11 times in 2 games. The so-called “misfits” have clearly found a home in Carolina. A place they’re comfortable playing, and where they’re doing a heck of a job keeping Sam Darnold upright, and opening up holes for CMC to run through.
[pickup_prop id=”12366″]Those are the things the Panthers have done well to get to 2-0 on the season. There are some areas they will need to improve upon if they hope to keep winning games, though. Here are my top three.
1- Converting opportunities in the red zone. The Panthers have scored a touchdown while in the red zone 42% of the time so far in 2021, the 25th worst in the league. They’ve missed some opportunities inside the opposition’s 20-yard line and will need to get that rate much higher in order to win the close games. I feel like Joe Brady needs to dial up some plays where Dan Arnold is a focal point in these areas. When the Panthers get inside the 20, it seems defenses are saying “don’t let CMC beat us” and clogging up run lanes, or double-teaming him on pass plays. Brady will have to figure out a way to get some other playmakers isolated in 1-on-1 situations, Darnold and company will need to start capitalizing on these chances. When they do, they can watch as the flood gates open for McCaffery.
2- The Kicking Game is still a disaster. Many fans have been calling for the release of Joey Slye for over a year, now. The Panthers finally complied, giving the kicker his outright release before the preseason ended. However, I also think fans now understand that cutting a bad kicker, doesn’t mean you’re going to find an automatic one. There aren’t many great kickers sitting on the couch. The fans were ecstatic when Slye was released, Slye has since been perfect in Houston, and his replacements (Ryan Santoso week one, and Zane Gonzalez week two) have both missed kicks in their respective games. They haven’t mattered so far, but as the competition gets tougher, all points are going to be vital in securing wins. The Panthers need to sure up their kicking game, as soon as possible.
3-Lastly, the Panthers need to continue the progression made from week 1 to week 2 on 3rd down efficiency. In week one against the Jets, the Panthers converted 4/14 3rd down attempts (28.5%). This week, they were much better against the Saints with eight 3rd down conversions in fifteen chances. This will be a key for the Panthers every week. You want to convert every third down attempt, but if they can stay at 42%, they’ll be a tough team to beat. Continue to build on the momentum from week two, and keep the chains moving.
All in all, I think most expected the Panthers to beat the Jets. I know many thought they would lose to the Saints, especially after the beat down they put on Green Bay in week one. However, the Panthers are 2-0 with two pretty convincing wins. The defense has been superb, Darnold and the offense are making strides every day. While I don’t foresee them overtaking Tom Brady and the Buccaneers for the NFC South title, this team is a playoff contender, and that’s something the Panthers haven’t been able to say for a few years. Excitement is back in the building, fans are back, and this team is on track for a great run. At the end of the day, they just need to #KeepPounding.
