4 shocking Panthers stats that need to improve in Week 2 vs. Saints
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers managed 3 points in the second half
Getting out to a 16-point lead that could have been much more after a tremendous first half was swiftly followed by similar problems that befell the Carolina Panthers in 2020. Time and time again during the previous campaign they came out after the halftime break flat, which proved to be the case to start the current season.
There’s just no excuse for this. Especially in the face of a team that was clearly lacking in any strong cohesion.
The next step for the Panthers is to finish teams off more effectively. Once they solve this ongoing riddle, Matt Rhule’s men will be a force.
They got away with it against the Jets. However, there’s little doubt any team with more in the way of talent might have made them pay.
Scoring three points in the second half isn’t going to win a lot of football games. No matter how good Carolina’s defense plays on any given week.
Less conservative play-calling from offensive coordinator Joe Brady and better execution from the players is the only way this improves. The New Orleans Saints won’t have either Marcus Davenport or Marshon Lattimore this weekend, which could enable Carolina to get more creative and exploit some obvious mismatches.
This game will be a lot closer to that which took place in Week 1. So the Panthers can ill-afford the same mistakes with a slimmer margin for error.