The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

The Panthers received their first loss of the 2021 season. Let's examine what went well and what is an area the team needs to improve.

The Good:

Sam Darnold continues to find success passing the ball downfield and running the ball when the opportunity arises, especially in the red zone. He is averaging 297 yards passing per game (1,189 total passing yards), which is the 6th highest in the league.

The team is having decent success overall in the red zone, converting 2.5 touchdowns in 4.0 chances per game (62.5%). This is tied for the 6th best in the league. They were 4-for-4 in the red zone in Week 4 against Dallas.

Despite the loss to Dallas, Carolina only allowed three conversions on third-down and lead the league with a 23.81% conversion against on third downs. Their defense also held Dallas to 188 yards passing - the third opponent they have led under 200 yards passing this season.

The Bad:

The offensive line, especially on the left side, continues to have challenges in pass protection. The line allowed five sacks to Dallas in Week 4, including 12 quarterback hits, and 21 quarterback hurries. They also committed four of the team's six penalties (2 holdings, 1 false start, 1 face mask). On the bright side, no player on the team has more than two called penalties against them this season.

The run defense struggled in Week 4 allowing 245 yards rushing with one rushing touchdown on 34 total carries. Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, and the Dallas offensive line were able to consistently push the line and gain rushing yards throughout the game. The Panthers, who had not given up 50 yards rushing in any game prior, were gashed in Week 4. The Cowboys' offensive line is one of the best units in the league and it showed.

The Ugly:

The worst part of the Week 4 loss is now realizing that perhaps Carolina doesn't have the best run or pass defense in the league. Changes are needed in certain areas of the offensive line. The pass rush that generated 14 sacks in the first three weeks struggled to get pressure on Dak Prescott in Week 4 and finished with 0 sacks with only one quarterback hit. The defense that forced several errant and rushed throws in Weeks 1-3 was not present in Week 4. Perhaps this was a bad outing, but credit also has to be given to Dallas' offensive line. Carolina has one of the better young defensive lines in the game and Dallas was able to neutralize them completely. One of the main reasons the team struggled defensively in 2020 was due to a lack of quarterback pressure. We've seen how good the team can be when pressure is high. That, and stopping the run needs to be the highest priority on defense for this team to consistently win in the league. Despite all of the shortcomings on defense and challenging officiating, this team had a chance at a game-tying drive at the end. If the team can play that poorly on defense and still be in the game at the end, perhaps that is a silver lining as we head further into the season?