Initial Reactions to Panthers Week 7 Close Loss Against Saints
The Carolina Panthers visited the New Orleans Saints with second place in the NFC South on the line in Week 7. Coming into the matchup the Saints were without their top two wide receivers in Michael Thomas (ankle/hamstring) and Emmanuel Sanders (COVID list). The Panthers had their own injury concerns with No. 1 cornerback Rasul Douglas (COVID list) unable to suit up in the pivotal rivalry game. Carolina proved that they could hang with one of the top teams in the division coming up just short by a final score of 27-24.
Here are our initial reactions to the conclusion of the Week 7 Panthers loss:
Carolina can hang with the top dogs
The Saints have won the last three NFC South division titles. Even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently hold the division lead, the Saints are the team to beat in the division until further notice. Carolina proved that they can compete with them in this matchup. The game went down to the wire and could have had a different outcome if kicker Joey Slye had one more yard of distance on his fourth-quarter kick. There are no moral victories in the NFL, but fans should be optimistic about the future of the Panthers' young team that most believed were in full rebuild mode coming into the season.
The offensive line needs improvement
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was under pressure much too often during this game. The Panthers have such great playmakers at the wide receiver position but it is tough to utilize them to their full potential if there is not enough time to complete their routes. The biggest play of the game came down to Bridgewater taking a sack on a late fourth-quarter drive. This play pushed the Carolina offense out of realistic field goal range and ultimately ended the game.
The Panthers miss Christian McCaffrey
Running back Mike Davis has done a great job filling in for the All-Pro Christian McCaffrey. This was one of the few games where he was completely bottled up. The Panthers sure could have used McCaffrey as another weapon to help take the pressure off of Bridgewater. The early expectation is that the Panthers could have their No. 1 back for the Thursday night matchup against the Atlanta Falcons next week. They are going to need him to get back to .500.
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