5 major talking points from Carolina Panthers defeat vs. the Vikings
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers cannot constantly rely on their defense
The Carolina Panthers scored three touchdowns on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, and only one came from their offensive playmakers. While the defense wasn’t quite the level it was last week, it was still the best-performing group.
You look and see the Panthers gave up almost 600 yards of offense and that immediately doesn’t make for good viewing. However, looking more into the stats the Vikings had 11 additional minutes of possession than the home side.
When your defense is on the field for that long its only natural for them to be worn down and gaps appear.
A positive yesterday was the play of Keith Taylor. With the cornerback room as stacked as it is, options for the likes of the fifth-round pick out of Washington are very limited. But with C.J. Henderson inactive he played almost 75 percent of defensive snaps and showed some promising signs against an elite wide receiver pairing of Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson.
With Stephon Gilmore eligible to return this week, playtime for Taylor may decrease. However, he has shown that is more than capable of holding his own against the very best in this league and can be a part of a menacing Panthers secondary.