Initial Reactions to the Panthers' Season-Opening Loss
What a first week. The Panthers came out as flat as can be, slowly breathed some life in, and eventually erased a multi-touchdown deficit, but ultimately fell short on the comeback attempt. While there will be plenty to dissect over the coming days, here are my initial thoughts following the team's week one defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns:
The offense came out ROUGH, but found a rhythm
The first five drives of the day for the Panthers went as follows: Punt, punt, punt, interception, punt. First downs were limited, Baker Mayfield was being pressured at warp speed, and it looked like there were a lot of nerves for the first game. Mayfield finished the first quarter completing 4/7 pass attempts for seven yards. Yes, seven. From my observation, a lot of the bleakness from the unit early can be attributed to a lack of familiarity within the offense exacerbated by a potent Browns pass rush.
The offense was really able to figure things out after that though. There was a shift from horizontal plays to more vertical, field-stretching ball movement. The difference was apparent, as Mayfield went 11-19 with 231 passing yards over the course of the rest of the game including one touchdown & interception a piece.
Hopefully with a game under their belt to gel and a chance to face a defense that doesn’t have Myles Garrett disrupting the pocket will allow the offense to build off of the good pillars we saw today. If the first quarter offense is closer to what is to come, it could be a long season for offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s unit.
More McCaffrey, Please
Yes, he’s missed plenty of games with injuries in the last 2 seasons. Yes, you want to be aware of the workload so that he’s available for as much of this season as possible. Those are completely rational trains of thought. If the Panthers are to be as successful as possible in the win column this season though, McCaffrey will need to see more than 14 touches.
10 rushing attempts for 33 yards and 4 receptions (on 4 targets) for 24 yards is far from pedestrian for what McCaffrey is used to producing. If he is healthy, it will be paramount to get both more consistent and more effective usage out of him. In times like today’s opening quarter where there was absolutely no rhythm to be found and the Cleveland pass rush was accelerating every play, finding ways to get your All-Pro running back the ball in high-leverage plays can be one of the quickest antidotes.
The Penalties need to go
It is hard enough to win NFL games because the other team has actively prepared for and schemed against you, and is giving it its all to walk away with the win. The prospect of winning becomes exponentially harder when you are also beating yourself.
The Panthers committed 8 penalties, conceding a total of 96 yards in the process. One of the most notable penalties was the first half pass-interference call on C.J Henderson where Brissett tossed up an absolute moon ball that was sure to be intercepted, and Henderson panicked and tackled the receiver to the ground well before the ball arrived. This gave the Browns the ball on the 1-yard line and set up Kareem Hunt to score the game’s first touchdown on the following play.
The other notable penalty was of course on the game-winning drive for the Browns, though there is some dispute as to the validity of the call. While the Browns were driving down the field to get into field goal range with hopes of retaking the lead, Brian Burns knock himself and the left tackle who was rushing through into Jacoby Brissett, knocking him pretty hard in the process. The penalty of course gave the Browns the automatic first down and helped kickstart the drive down the field where rookie kicker Cade York eventually hit the game-winning field goal with only a few seconds remaining. While the penalty call may not have been correct, as there wasn’t really a late hit or egregiously malicious intent, the penalty also probably could have been avoided altogether. You don’t risk plays like that when you’re on a drive where every yard counts.
The Panthers, who have the 8th youngest roster in the NFL, will assuredly commit many more penalties this season. There needs to be a level of situational awareness that prevents the avoidable ones going forward if the Panthers are to remain competitive week to week.
