4 silver linings from the Panthers loss vs. the Vikings in Week 6

What were some silver linings to take from the Carolina Panthers’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6 at Bank of America Stadium?

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for the Carolina Panthers following their overtime loss against the Minnesota Vikings. This was a body blow to the team’s chances of mounting a serious push for postseason football and although there are 11 games remaining, the tide seems to be turning in terms of momentum.

The pressure is now on Matt Rhule and his staff to put together the right sort of adjustments to get this season back on track. Sunday’s game at the New York Giants is arguably the most important fixture since the head coach agreed to come on board from Baylor.

Judging on this performance and the one last week versus the Philadelphia Eagles, there is a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it.

Amid all the doom and gloom, there were some positives. Here are four silver linings from Carolina’s third reverse of the 2021 season.

Silver Lining No. 1

Zane Gonzalez – Carolina Panthers K

It was another strong performance from Zane Gonzalez in Week 6, who is firmly establishing himself for the Panthers after his first-game struggles. The free-agent signing made two field-goal attempts and also nailed both his extra points for good measure.

Gonzalez now has a field goal success rate of 80 percent through his first five games and 92.3% of extra points are going through the uprights. This was one of the biggest problems heading into the season, but thanks to the former Arizona Cardinal‘s performances of late, that’s no longer the case.

Should the kicker continue this form throughout Carolina’s remaining games, the decision to keep Gonzalez around will be an easy one.