Loser No. 3
Caleb Farley - Carolina Panthers CB
To say Caleb Farley got thrown into the fire in Week 17 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be an understatement. The Carolina Panthers didn't have the elite presence of cornerback Jaycee Horn to depend upon. This thrust the former first-round selection into the spotlight for his big opportunity.
It came as no surprise to see Farley struggle. He's missed a lot of football this season and is gradually working his way back after a rough time on the injury front. There is no room for sentiment in the NFL, so the Buccaneers lined up prolific wide receiver Mike Evans against him almost constantly.
Farley tried valiantly, but this was a mismatch right from the outset. Evans is one of the league's best wideouts and could reach 1,000 receiving yards once again despite missing four games. This represented a rude awakening for the Virginia Tech product in no uncertain terms.
Going from the fringes to covering the likes of Evans was a significant step up in class. Farley didn't come close to nullifying this threat, so it'll be interesting to see if this poor performance has any impact on his future beyond the current campaign.
Loser No. 4
Carolina Panthers run defense
This has been a depressingly familiar tale for the Carolina Panthers this season. They are simply incapable of preventing the opposition from gaining significant yards on the ground. It doesn't matter what's in front of them, the task is always too big.
The Panthers are lucky James Conner went out through injury last weekend against the Arizona Cardinals. They weren't as fortunate this time around versus rookie running back Bucky Irving, who set the tone immediately and further cemented his status as a core foundational piece for the future in Tampa Bay.
Irving and the Buccaneers had their way with the Panthers from start to finish. They finished the one-sided contest with 202 rushing yards from 40 combined carries. Carolina didn't have the personnel or the answers to counteract this threat and they paid a heavy price once again.
Fixing this issue will be among Carolina's biggest priorities this offseason. Deciding on Evero's future is the first objective. Then comes the assistants and whether they can be upgraded. Reinforcing the trenches is another essential part of their rebuild that must be addressed as a matter of urgency.