4 concerning stats for the Panthers defense in 2020 so far
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers have yet to record a sack
One of the biggest reasons why the Carolina Panthers are struggling on defense is their inability to generate pressure. This has piled more on their suspect secondary and they are the only NFL team that has yet to record a single sack.
We are only two games into the season, but it is clear that more is needed. This defensive front lost the likes of Bruce Irvin, Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Mario Addison in free agency. And although the majority of those individuals were past the peak of their powers, their replacements need to do much more to improve this critical area of the game.
Brian Burns is the Panthers’ No. 1 pass-rushing option and although he might not get getting to the quarterback consistently, his level of performance has still been of high quality. This is especially evident in the improvements made by the former first-round pick to his run support and it will be up to others to step up their respective games considerably.
Free-agent signing Stephen Weatherly has been virtually anonymous from a pass-rushing perspective so far, and the concerns surrounding No. 7 overall pick Derrick Brown’s ability to create pressure has been there for all to see so far.
Not having Yetur Gross-Matos and Kawann Short in Week 2 was a blow. The Panthers will need them back sooner rather than later and it is going to be a long season if they cannot get opposing quarterbacks off their spot consistently.