4 concerning stats for the Panthers defense in 2020 so far
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers have given up six rushing TDs in two games
It was clear from the off that the Carolina Panthers were going to need to put up substantial points throughout the season in order to remain competitive. Their clear deficiencies on defense could complicate matters if they cannot adjust with more time together on the field, and this is further reflected by the team giving up eight touchdowns from their opening two games.
Six of these scores have come from rushing plays, which is the same sort of problem that the Panthers encountered during the 2019 season. They are giving up 127.5 yards-per-game on the ground, which is an improvement on last year’s 143.5 and is ranked No. 19 in the NFL.
That being said, the Panthers just cannot seem to stop those running the ball from getting in the end zone. Josh Jacobs torched them for three scores in Week 1, with Leonard Fournette (2) and Ronald Jones finding the paydirt last Sunday for the Buccaneers.
This lack of conviction to prevent crucial yards in running situations is concerning, especially when Carolina drafted Derrick Brown in the first-round and paid Stephen Weatherly a lot of money to bring his run-stopping ability over from the Minnesota Vikings.
It would be foolish to give the Panthers’ linebacking group a pass here. Tahir Whitehead and Shaq Thompson haven’t hit the ground running so far and although rookie Jeremy Chinn has shown incredible potential, he cannot do everything on his own.