Yet Another Close Loss For The Carolina Panthers
Every Monday I usually go into school talking about one thing, the Panthers. My friends and I usually discuss what the Panthers could have done better, and on rare occasion what we did to get a win. But after the loss to the Chiefs I’m at a loss to come up with any way to defend the Panthers to my friends, who bag on the Panthers week in and week out. So come Monday I’m probably going spend more time talking about AMC’s show, the Walking Dead, instead of the Panthers.
December 02, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; A Carolina Panthers fans shows his support in the second half of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE
The mere thought depresses me. When a television show defines my Sunday instead of Panther football, you know the team has reached a new low. I just can’t believe that the Carolina Panthers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. To me there is no way to salvage the season and call it a success, the only good thing that can come out of the season is a high draft pick, hopefully one that replaces someone in the secondary. So without further ado here comes the poor Panther list.
Defensive Line – The whole defense did not play with the same level of intensity that I have now grown accustom to. It all started up front for me. There was no push against the Chiefs line, and we allowed Charles to accumulate one hundred and twenty seven yards. Along the same lines the Defensive Line hardly ever got through to Brady Quinn. The only sack came from Luke Kuechly, and Quinn ended up with a completion percentage 82%. Just a very poor performance overall. We also missed Ron Edwards desperately; Fua wasn’t able to pick the slack.
The Secondary – Again, the one thing I want from the draft is another Cornerback or another Safety to replace Nakamura. It really showed against the Chiefs. Nakamura allowed huge cushions on players in his zone, and Josh Norman, who is still a draft gem in my eyes, really showed his age and allowed some really big plays through the air. Josh Thomas blew it on his fifteen yard penalty, which debatably cost the team the game.
Linebackers – Kuechly played really well again, but there were some blown tackles, that should not have been missed. There just weren’t many plays on the defensive front, and it’s really disappointing to see a team that we know can make plays defensively just come up short.
Brandon LaFell – I felt like crying when Cam’s beautifully thrown ball slipped right through Brandon LaFell’s open hands. He was obviously in the dog house after the missed catch, since he never came back into the game. I hate to see it, especially since LaFell has just started coming into his own, and just like Thomas, he debatably cost the team the game.
Dec 2, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) throws a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston (50) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 27-21. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE
Coaching – Rob Chudzinski has really been calling all the right the plays on the Offense, but Sean McDermott has been just the opposite of Chud. After a really poor performance stopping the run against Philadelphia, I expected them to really come into the Kansas City playing stout up front knowing their offensive scheme through past games. Nope. Not only did we have problems stopping the run, we had problems stopping Brady Quinn, the backup for two of the worst teams in recent history, the Browns and the Chiefs. I will be very surprised if Ron and his crew will be back for next season.
Cam is definitely not in a sophomore slump, and the Offense as a whole really shined, except for LaFell’s drop. DeAngelo finally produced like he used to, and Murphy got his first touchdown as a Panther, while Smith got his second and Joe Adams made his debut for the Panthers Offense. Kuechly is still on pace for DROY and was basically the only bright spot in the Defense. It wasn’t a pitiful performance; it was just a disappointing performance. Kansas City was definitely playing inspired football, so it was nice to see the Chiefs win after everything the team has been through this weekend.