Week 2: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Panthers played like the young and inexperienced team that it is during the seemingly frustrating loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No matter what perspective you want to view this team from, there is no denying that. There were sacks, turnovers, and penalties galore. The good news is that there were aspects of this game that were positive. However, the negatives were way too damaging to overcome, which is why the Panthers lost in the manner in which they did. Here are the good, bad, and ugly sides from Sunday's game.
The GOOD: Moore and Anderson's Performances
Sunday was a very productive day for both D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson. Moore had eight receptions for 120 yards while Anderson produced with nine receptions for 109 yards. Both receivers looked very impressive, making explosive plays left and right. They were a huge reason why Teddy Bridgewater threw for 367 yards. If they continue having games like this, there will many more opportunities for the Panthers to win ball games.
The BAD: Bridgewater's Turnovers
You can't win with turnovers. Period. Bridgewater learned that the hard way this past Sunday. Even though he accounted for 367 yards, he also caused three devastating turnovers in critical situations. His two interceptions along with one fumble gave Tom Brady's Buccaneers way too many opportunities to score. If he wants to be the franchise quarterback of the Carolina Panthers, he is going to have to be better than this.
The UGLY: Losing the Line of Scrimmage Battle (On Both Sides)
Did you know that the Panthers have yet to record a single sack this season? The team that finished second in the NFL in sacks only a year ago has been struggling to generate pressure towards the quarterback. The defense also failed to stop the run (once again) as Leonard Fournette rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns. The front seven has continued to struggle at defending both the run and the pass this season, which is bad news for the secondary. Remember what I said about the front seven's performance against the Raiders last week? It still applies.
"Improvements have to be made at stopping the run and generating a legitimate pass rush if this team wants to win some ball games. Failing to do both exposed the Panthers' weakened secondary in the passing game, and we saw that today."
As for the offensive side of the line of scrimmage, things didn't look any better. The team gave up five total sacks. Two of those sacks came from Ndamukong Suh, who wrecked shop in the interior all game long. Bridgewater was under constant pressure, which contributed to his mistakes on Sunday. While his performance was lackluster, some of it had to do with the Panthers offensive line. They were without starting guard Dennis Daley for the second straight week, and his absence shows. The line performed much better against the Raiders, so it was disappointing to see it give up five sacks against a team that provided a bigger test on the line of scrimmage.
The Panthers will try to overcome their woes against the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday at 4:05 p.m. EST.
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