5 big talking points from the Panthers’ disappointing Week 5 loss
By Luke Gray
The Carolina Panthers defense responded well
Let’s get possibly the only positive out the way first up.
After they crumbled at the hands of Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, the Carolina Panthers defense roared back into action albeit in a losing effort.
The Panthers held exciting young quarterback Jalen Hurts to under 250 yards from scrimmage. For the first time since their matchup at the Houston Texans, Carolina managed to add some numbers in the sack column, Haason Reddick with both moving his season tally to six.
Given Reddick’s production so far he’s looking like a real steal for the Panthers.
Another positive on defense was the turnovers. The Panthers had struggled to generate takeaways this season, but they added two with Donte Jackson intercepting Hurts and forcing a fumble from rookie DeVonta Smith.
Jackson has really stepped up since being appointed team captain. Entering a contract year expect him to be paid in the offseason as the Panthers have made clear their intentions to keep Jackson in the Queen City.
The Panthers held the Philadelphia Eagles to under 300 yards of total offense and this should have been enough for a win.
After last week’s struggles, one shred of positivity was the performance of Phil Snow’s defense. This is something that’ll need to carry into next week when Kirk Cousins and his stacked Minnesota Vikings offense roll into Bank of America Stadium.
And with the addition of former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, this defense is only on the way up.