4 key stats that should improve for the Carolina Panthers in 2021
By Dean Jones
Fourth-quarter points
- 2020 number – 6.0 points per game
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out just where the Carolina Panthers faltered in 2020.
They couldn’t get off the field on third down.
And the Panthers failed to get things done with the game on the line.
This is the difference between the also-rans and the Super Bowl contenders. Carolina averaged just six points per game in the fourth quarter – which was ranked No. 26 across the league – and if they want to avoid another losing record in 2021 this category has to improve substantially.
The Panthers are banking on Sam Darnold producing the goods far better than Teddy Bridgewater managed to accomplish on his way to an 0-8 record on game-winning or tying drives during the previous campaign.
Although there isn’t much to suggest the No. 3 overall selection in 2018 is capable of this, Darnold certainly has the intangibles to utilize improved weapons in a better scheme if his adjustment to life in Carolina is a smooth one.
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Couple this with a couple of strong red-zone presences acquired in Dan Arnold and Terrace Marshall Jr., the return of Christian McCaffrey, and the lessons learned last time around, it’s not hard to see why the Panthers are quietly fancied to make a splash next season.