4 instant takeaways from Panthers’ Week 2 loss at the Bucs
By Dean Jones
Where was the pressure?
One element of the Carolina Panthers’ production on defense that remains a serious concern is their ability to generate pressure. Tom Brady has all day to throw in the first half and it saw the Buccaneers pull out to a commanding lead that they didn’t end up relinquishing.
The Panthers managed their first quarterback hit of the season in the third quarter courtesy of Zach Kerr, which resulted in an interception. Their second-half showing was much-improved. But again, the bar could not have been much lower following a dismal first-half display.
NFL teams tend not to win many football games by not getting sacks or creating turnovers. The Panthers must have been aware of Brady’s preference for getting the ball out quickly and they were simply unable to come up with the right sort of schemes to put their pass-rushing playmakers to work.
Those who put Carolina’s lack of pressure in Week 1 as a potential blip, then this might increase the trepidation somewhat. Not having Kawann Short on the interior is no excuse given how well the Panthers did to prevent the run overall and this is a problem that needs to be resolved at the earliest possible opportunity.
If this is a trend that continues throughout the season, it is going to be a long one.