Initial Reactions to Panthers Week Five Win Against Falcons
Both the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons entered the week five matchup looking for their first divisional win of the year. For the second week in a row, the Panthers got off to a hot start leading 20-7 at halftime. Carolina did enough in the second half to hold on for the victory by a final score of 23-16. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is beginning to unleash his full arsenal of talents spreading the ball around to all of his playmakers. Mike Davis continues to punish would-be tacklers in the running game.
Here are our initial reactions to the conclusion of the week five Panthers win:
D.J. Moore is still elite
D.J. Moore was so effective last year for this Carolina offense. He played well in the first four games of this season but seemed to take a back seat to the new WR acquisition, Robby Anderson. We had yet to see him really make an impact like he did so many times last year. That all changed late in the second quarter when he exploded for a 57-yard touchdown catch outrunning the entire Atlanta defense. It was the type of play that Panthers fans had become accustomed to in 2019. He is a rare talent and it is good to see that he and Anderson can coexist at a high level in this Joe Brady offense.
Teddy Bridgewater is more than a game manager
Okay, so the term game manager has a different meaning for everyone. For most people, it describes a QB that is not good enough to win without a lot of help but won't lose games because of dumb mistakes. Teddy has proven that he is more than that. He is a facilitator of the football. He plays football like he is an NBA point guard. He throws a very accurate ball and keeps all of his playmakers in rhythm. Bridgewater has Carolina right in the middle of the NFC playoff picture through five weeks of football.
The Panthers run defense is a concern
The run defense for the Panthers has struggled this season and that continued in this game. Carolina gave up 121 rushing yards to running back Todd Gurley. The early leads that the Panthers have gotten off to have limited the impact of the run defense struggles. If teams have to continue to play from behind, then they will not be able to run the ball much on offense. Still, it is a concern that the coaching staff will have to address sooner rather than later. The good news is that the Panthers have defended against the pass extremely well. Hopefully, they can address the issues on the defensive line and slow the running game down as the season goes on.
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