4 big Panthers disappointments in Week 8 loss vs. the Falcons
By Dean Jones
Lack of quality in the clutch
This was yet another close game that got away from the Carolina Panthers, who for some reason find it incredibly difficult to come through at the death and get a positive result. Being competitive is one thing, but the NFL is a results business at the end of the day.
Finding a way to win is equally as essential as performance through the first three quarters. The Panthers’ adjustments in the second half of games haven’t exactly been encouraging over the last month and finding the right sort of adjustments is going to be key to avoid further complications down the line.
No one player can help. It needs to be a collective effort.
Carolina seems to be a tight-knit group, so whether it is just inexperience or nerves is up for debate. Teddy Bridgewater and the offense, in general, seem to be improvising a little too much at the line of scrimmage at the present time which is costing them.
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow also went away from the 4-3 scheme, mainly down to personnel that was missing. The 3-4 base hasn’t brought the greatest amount of success to the Panthers and even though they were blitzing more in the second half, it made things all the more difficult to generate the pressure needed to come away with a result.