4 critical factors to blame for Panthers’ pathetic loss at the NY Giants

Carolina Panthers QB Sam Darnold was woeful

Sam Darnold‘s time under center for the Carolina Panthers is hanging by a thread. The quarterback turned in another inept display upon his return to MetLife Stadium, which eventually led to Matt Rhule benching the former first-round pick early in the fourth quarter.

Rhule came out after the game and said Darnold is the starter moving forward. Almost at the same time, Joe Person of The Athletic reported that the Panthers are going to be involved in trade talks for Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, citing league and team sources.

So which one is it?

Nobody takes Rhule’s word as gospel. Given David Tepper also made an appearance in the locker room following this embarrassing defeat, it would be a surprise if Carolina didn’t make a bold bid to acquire a player who still has multiple sexual misconduct charges to overcome.

It reeks of desperation.

And the move wouldn’t go down well with large sections of the team’s fanbase.

Darnold’s only got himself to blame. There’s just something missing from a talent standpoint and he lacks the cutting edge to pick a team up by himself and make things happen.

What comes next is unclear. But the next few days are sure to be extremely interesting.