What are some of the big takeaways from the Carolina Panthers’ Week 6 loss against the Chicago Bears?
All good things must come to an end. This proved to be the case for the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium during their 23-16 defeat to the Chicago Bears.
The Carolina Panthers fought hard, but they were clearly lacking the sort of conviction that was a key component in their three-game winning run before Sunday’s clash. Chicago’s defense was exactly as advertised. But it is hard not to look back at some missed chances late on that the offense would like to have back.
It seemed like whenever the Panthers got into a promising position, they ended up shooting themselves in the foot. This was something that became prominent early on in the season and head coach Matt Rhule will be hoping they don’t fall back into old habits with the daunting task of a trip to the New Orleans Saints awaiting them next weekend.
This was something of a reality check for the Panthers, who gained plenty of attention from the national media this week. But despite their impressive turnaround in form, it is clear that much work needs to be done to keep this young roster trending in the right direction and there are going to be some growing pains along the way.
Here are four big takeaways from Carolina’s Week 6 loss that moves them back to .500.
The Carolina Panthers missed Christian McCaffrey for the first time
This is probably the first game since Christian McCaffrey went to the reserve/injured list that the Carolina Panthers noticeably missed his presence on the field. The All-Pro is due back any week now, but their game against the Bears simply came too soon.
Looking back on the game, this would’ve been a nice matchup for McCaffrey. Chicago brought some significant pressure in Teddy Bridgewater’s direction for the entirety of the contest and not having a nice outlet underneath that was lacking for large parts of the game.
That being said, the Panthers won’t be coming up against defenses of this standard much this season. The Bears were exactly as advertised and did a nice job of limiting Carolina’s threat, which would have made an elite player such as McCaffrey even more beneficial in hard-fought games such as this.
Mike Davis has been a nice foil in passing situations during his time as a starter, but this is a trend that didn’t continue against his old team. There will undoubtedly be a role for the veteran once the face of the franchise returns. However, talk of Carolina being better without McCaffrey is now a moot point.
Jeremy Chinn is a star
This seems to be a recurring theme every week for the Carolina Panthers. However, Jeremy Chinn is just that good and his contribution against the Bears was full of memorable highlights once again.
The rookie is fast becoming the best storyline on the Panthers this season. Carolina made a bold move to trade back into the second round and take the former Southern Illinois standout. But this already looks like being one of general manager Marty Hurney’s best ever moves.
Chinn was everywhere at the second level, which is more than could be said for his linebacker teammates Shaq Thompson and Tahir Whitehead. He continues to play with fearless aggression that is inspiring fans and other roster members alike, which is absolutely extraordinary for someone so young.
His standout play also came with a first career interception at a crucial time in the third quarter, which was only a small sample of the energy and overall class Chinn brought to the table.
It was thought that Chinn was a star in the making before playing a down. But after just six weeks of the 2020 season, he has already reached this sort of level and the best thing about all this is that the player is only going to get better over time.
The Carolina Panthers struggled on offense
Coming up against the Bears defense is not an easy proposition. But the Carolina Panthers simply shot themselves in the foot too many times.
Whatever mistakes could be made, the Panthers seemed to manage it. Whether this was penalties, dropped passes, missed blocking assignments, or bad play-calling in crucial situations, it was just a poor day at the office all round.
This was something of a surprise, especially when one considers how well the Panthers have moved the ball so far this season. They had to work hard for every single yard, which was expected against a unit that has been firing on all cylinders in no uncertain terms.
They did try valiantly to make the most out of the opportunities that came their way in the second half. But silly mistakes were the order of the day and this simply has to change ahead of their huge task at the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.
It was amazing that the Panthers were in the game late on considering the errors being made. Two chances in the fourth quarter to tie the game were blown by Teddy Bridgewater, who overthrew D.J. Moore for a big gain and followed this up with an interception on the final drive that condemned Carolina to a first defeat in four games.
The Carolina Panthers got no pressure on Nick Foles
One of the main factors in the Carolina Panthers turning around their season over the last few weeks has been their ability to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Unfortunately, things reverted to what we saw from their front seven over the first two games of the campaign.
This was a threadbare group going into the contest due to Kawann Short and Yetur Gross-Matos missing the contest through injury. Brian Burns didn’t really look like the dominant force we’ve seen of late after missing most of practice with a concussion. This saw Carolina’s roleplayers see plenty of action without ever impacting proceedings efficiently.
Bears quarterback Nick Foles had his moments, but he was afforded plenty of time in the pocket. The Panthers were unable to get off the field on third down consistently due to their inability to put the Super Bowl winner under pressure and this played a leading role in their eventual demise.
In truth, this was another game that was there for the taking.
Chicago stuttered their way to victory, relying heavily on their defense to get them over the line. That only adds to Carolina’s frustrations and it’s clear that additional reinforcements might be needed before the trade deadline if Gross-Matos’ absence is more than a three-week deal.