10 key takeaways from Panthers loss at the Packers in Week 15
By Dean Jones
Jeremy Chinn was sensational
The Carolina Panthers might not have come close to securing a surprise victory. But the performance of Jeremy Chinn was another standout feature from a disappointing result overall.
Not for the first time this season.
Chinn was everywhere on the field, making a series of big-time tackles to further aid his defense. The sooner Carolina gets some better pieces around the former Southern Illinois standout the better because he is an absolute star in the making.
The Teddy Bridgewater fumble was crucial
Just when it looked as if the Panthers might get themselves to within a score in the second quarter, a bizarre sequence of events snatched momentum completely out of their grasp.
Inevitably, it centered on beleaguered quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Carolina did a nice job of getting the ball to within the one-yard line, where Joe Brady called a play similar to that which is deployed regularly in New Orleans with Drew Brees going over the top and finding the end zone.
Sadly, Bridgewater fumbled the ball and the Packers took it downfield on their way to yet another touchdown. Why Brady didn’t use Mike Davis is anybody’s guess, but he piled even more pressure on his signal-caller.
The Packers were clinical early on
It’s hard enough to stop the NFL’s highest-scoring team at the best of times. But when the Packers get into an early rhythm there is little any team can do.
This proved to be the case in the first half as Green Bay had their way with Carolina’s young defense. Aaron Rodgers got enough time to go through his reads and running back Aaron Jones was afforded acres of space in which to do damage.
Simply put, it was men against boys in the first half and a further indicator of just how far away the Panthers are from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.