4 things the Panthers need to improve following Week 6 loss

Cut out silly penalties

This has been an area where the Carolina Panthers have been relatively disciplined during the season so far. But it is hard to deny they didn’t take a step backward against the Bears.

Coming up against a formidable team like Chicago is one thing, but the way Carolina shot themselves in the foot throughout the contest was frustrating. They were out of sync early on which was not in keeping with the way they started games during their winning run and this played a leading role in their eventual demise.

Veteran left tackle Russell Okung looked particularly twitchy on the edge, which is to be expected in the face of such a dominant pass-rush. This undoubtedly had a domino effect on less experienced individuals around him that only hampered their chances of a fourth straight triumph.

The Panthers gave up eight penalties for 68 yards in Week 6, which takes their tally to 39 for the season at a cost of 338 yards for the opposition. Matt Rhule came into the organization with high standards regarding this particular statistic, so he will have been more frustrated than anybody at what transpired on Sunday.

Carolina doesn’t have an abundance of talent or depth, so the last thing they need is to give up free yardage with sloppy mistakes that aren’t going to do them any favors whatsoever.