Which Carolina Panthers disappointed most vs. the Broncos?
It was yet another afternoon to forget for the Carolina Panthers in Week 14. Their dismal home loss to the Denver Broncos was littered with individual errors and an inability to get the job done down the stretch once again, which leaves them at 4-9 and starting another top-five 2021 NFL Draft pick in the face if things don’t improve.
This wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. But the Carolina Panthers must get every single decision right in terms of recruitment next spring if they want to be seriously considered in the postseason talk moving forward.
There is no margin for error.
And more than a few established veterans will now be nervously looking over their shoulders if they don’t raise their respective games in the coming weeks.
Let’s take a look at four Panthers players who disappointed most during another poor performance overall at Bank of America Stadium.
Player No. 1
Chris Reed – Carolina Panthers OG
Chris Reed is living on borrowed time with the Panthers. And, in truth, if it wasn’t for injuries and a distinct lack of depth he would already be out of the rotation.
The offensive lineman struggled to cope with the Broncos 3-4 scheme that came at Carolina from all angles. Reed was on the back foot early and often and if he wanted to prove his doubters wrong, then the guard didn’t exactly make his presence felt.
Protection was a real problem all afternoon for the Panthers and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is going to be a complete overhaul in this area of the field this offseason.
Rasul Douglas – Carolina Panthers CB
Rasul Douglas is in danger of undoing all his good early-season work after arriving at the Carolina Panthers shortly before their competitive opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. The cornerback appeared to be a shrewd pick-up by the front office in a position of need. But his contribution in Week 14 is one he’ll want to forget in a hurry.
Douglas endured a torrid time on the outside and just couldn’t find an answer for Denver’s dynamic rookie duo of Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler. The pair were able to blow by the former Philadelphia Eagle with ease and this played a leading role in their eventual demise.
Hamler torched Douglas on two occasions that came with a pair of touchdowns to further announce himself on the national stage. It wasn’t all his fault, not by any stretch of the imagination. But a player of his caliber and experience should be doing better and he picked a bad time to have arguably his worst game of the campaign.
There are plenty fighting for their long-term futures in Carolina over the next three games. Douglas looked a lock to get an extension at one stage. But if he continues this inconsistency down the stretch it has the potential to significantly impact his chances of a longer stay with the organization.
John Miller – Carolina Panthers OG
John Miller is another who won’t look back on his performance with any sense of pride. The Carolina Panthers struggled with their interior protection and he needs to shoulder plenty of responsibility for this.
There were some nice moments from Miller – particularly on running downs – but the fact of the matter is the guard simply isn’t up to scratch and it’s not going to be a great shock to see his $4 million on the salary cap put to better use in 2021.
Miller was only expected to be a short-term fix for the Panthers after the front office coveted him heavily during free agency. The former third-round pick made an eye-catching contribution early on but things are tailing off rapidly for the veteran.
It didn’t take long for the Broncos to figure out where they could get joy in their pursuit of getting in the backfield. Their scheme focused almost entirely on roughing up the middle with multiple players -especially during critical moments – and this is something that Miller and Chris Reed were simply unable to cope with.
Matt Rhule was critical of the protection overall after the game and the head coach is probably already looking at alternative options as he looks to make strides in his second season.
Teddy Bridgewater – Carolina Panthers QB
Teddy Bridgewater is officially on the hot seat. The quarterback turned in another lackluster display that raises further questions about his ability to lead the Carolina Panthers back into the postseason discussion in the process.
If Bridgewater wanted to make an impression after the bye, then he is off to a terrible start.
The signal-caller looked like a player short on confidence and although his completion percentage was creditable once again, that just isn’t enough if Carolina wants to win close games.
Bridgewater is a hard player to root against.
But the NFL is a what have you done for me lately business.
His throws rarely made it to the sticks on third downs, which was either down to his lack of conviction in taking chances down the field or the plays coming in from offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Bridgewater has three games to turn things around but he might already be past the point of no return with large sections of the team’s fanbase who were never ready to truly accept him as one of their own.
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Matt Rhule reaffirmed his faith in Bridgewater in his post-game presser. But with the Packers, Washington, and Buccaneers all upcoming between now and the end of the campaign, it is going to take a monumental effort from the former first-round pick to alter the narrative.