4 defining moments from the Panthers’ loss vs. Bucs in Week 10
By Dean Jones
The Ronald Jones TD run
Things looked promising for the Carolina Panthers. They had the Bucs pinned down on their own two-yard line after a superb special teams play and there was a real belief that the defense could finally make their presence felt in the most promising of situations.
How wrong we were.
Ronald Jones changed all that in an instant. The running back cut through the Panthers’ rearguard like a knife through butter and showed just the right amount of burst to keep Jeremy Chinn at arm’s length before going in for a 98-yard touchdown run.
This was completely unacceptable and made worse by claims Shaq Thompson was actually calling out the play before it was even snapped.
Just what Tahir Whitehead was doing is unclear. The veteran seems to be going to the first pile of bodies and hoping for the best rather than using his experience to see a play develop.
Thankfully, Whitehead is a problem the Panthers probably won’t have for much longer.
The defensive front was pushed off the block quickly that allowed Jones to get to the second level and the rest is history. If Carolina’s season on defense could be summed up in one play, this was it. Veteran players not being in the right spot and Chinn trying to cover up their failings.