4 growing concerns for the Carolina Panthers in 2020
By Dean Jones
What are some growing concerns for the Carolina Panthers this season?
After a largely encouraging start, things have gone in a completely different direction for the Carolina Panthers. Their Week 13 bye cannot come quickly enough after a complete dip in form that has seen a young roster lose their last five games.
Although this is a stark contrast to what we saw from the Carolina Panthers during their three-game stretch that got them to a winning record for the first time, it is not time to press the panic button just yet. They’ve still got plenty of talent on both sides of the ball and their schedule hasn’t exactly been the easiest, so it’s important to look at their efforts through ten games with a sense of perspective.
Not easy considering what we saw on Sunday in their embarrassing 46-23 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A positive first half was eclipsed by a lackluster showing from a group that doesn’t seem to be coming out after the break with the same sort of energy what whatever reason.
It will be interesting to see just how the Panthers bounce back from their worst performance of the campaign by a considerable margin. But here are four growing concerns that need to be fixed at the earliest possible opportunity.
Concern No. 1
Blindside protection
The Panthers got some nice protection from the offensive line earlier this season. But the cracks have begun to show during their recent slump.
This is especially evident on the left-hand side. Chris Reed has become a real link at the guard spot and the absence of veteran Pro Bowler Russell Okung on the edge is something else that’s really impacted Carolina’s ability to give Teddy Bridgewater enough time to go through his progressions.
Trenton Scott performed well against the Buccaneers. However, one only has to look at how the coaching staff is rotating at the left tackle position to see how much confidence – or lack thereof – they have in him to get the job done consistently.