3 winners and 3 losers from Panthers win at the Texans in Week 3
By Jason Huber
The Carolina Panthers offensive line
The Carolina Panthers offensive line is going to be a problem all year and it was a disaster on Thursday night.
The line as a unit lost many assignments, allowed Sam Darnold to be sacked three times, and couldn’t avoid pressure the entire game against a less than formidable unit compared to others upcoming on the schedule.
Had it not been for Darnold coming through late by breaking free and not cracking under pressure, the offensive line would take a huge amount of blame if Carolina lost this game. Something that they’d have deserved beyond all doubt.
Even star right tackle Taylor Moton had an awful blown assignment that allowed Darnold to be sacked at one point.
Left tackle Cameron Irving had a costly holding call that negated a 32-yard Darnold run and Dennis Daley had another rough day that included a false start and some blown assignments. This might be the last time the former sixth-round pick sees any meaningful playing time, with the calls to slot rookie Brady Christensen at the left guard position now at deafening levels.
Darnold better pray this line can figure out its issues quickly. Otherwise, this season could spiral out of control without Christian McCaffrey.