10 takeaways from the Panthers’ loss at the Vikings in Week 12

D.J. Moore out of sync

Getting some consistency out of D.J. Moore has been vital to the Carolina Panthers, but his timing with Teddy Bridgewater was once again off against the Vikings. The wide receiver was getting open plenty, but the signal-caller was just not finding his primary weapon in the passing game enough despite a nice 25-yard play in the third quarter.

This is something that was prevalent early in the campaign but has gotten better in recent weeks. Hopefully, this revert to type won’t be seen again after the bye week and Moore can look to better his receiving yards from 2019.

What was more concerning was the injury suffered by Moore in the fourth quarter, which kept him out of their crucial final drive.

Carolina Panthers’ defense did a great job on Dalvin Cook

The Panthers’ defense came to play once again. They’ve been so good over the last two weeks that it’s hard to gauge just how much better they’re going to be once some better quality is brought in during free agency or the 2021 NFL Draft.

Stopping Dalvin Cook was an area of real importance coming into the game. Carolina stifled the Pro Bowler in the first half and he finished with just 61 rushing yards from 18 carries, which is a significant achievement given the form he’s been in lately.

Teddy Bridgewater’s rough start

There were always going to be a few nerves for Teddy Bridgewater upon his return to the Vikings for the first time since his release. His calm exterior makes it hard to tell just what the quarterback is feeling, but his nerves were there for all to see in the early going.

Bridgewater was uncharacteristically inconsistent distributing the football and also threw a crucial red-zone interception. This didn’t exactly improve in the second half and casts more doubt on his ability to lead the organization long-term.