4 Carolina Panthers with work to do after loss vs. the Vikings in Week 6
By Dean Jones
Matt Rhule – Carolina Panthers HC
One can talk about all the on-field problems currently transpiring with the Carolina Panthers, but the time for letting head coach Matt Rhule off the hook is over.
All week prior to their game against the Minnesota Vikings was full of praise for intense practices and the quality of work being put in by this roster as it looks to get back on the right track. Sadly, this could not transition to production when it mattered most and Carolina just didn’t look ready to play right out of the gate.
That’s on the coach.
Rhule has the keys to the kingdom and the final say in all personnel decisions. He’s a likable guy that left a good impression overall last season in difficult circumstances, but their recent “win-now” moves only pile on additional pressure and three straight defeats leave many wondering just which way Carolina’s campaign in 2021 will go.
It’s not just the way the Panthers are falling flat. The main frustration is the same problems are constantly rearing their head and nothing is being done to rectify them.
Talking about a good game is one thing.
Putting together a plan for every eventuality in a pressurized situation is another matter entirely.
Rhule’s claim that the Panthers are still trying to find their identity without Christian McCaffrey even though the running back’s missed 16 of 22 games is just another omission that adjustments aren’t being made in a satisfactory fashion.