4 keys to victory for the Carolina Panthers at Falcons in Week 8

Carolina Panthers must ignore the noise

There’s a lot of bad press everywhere you look about the Carolina Panthers right now and that can do a lot of damage to a team very quickly if they cannot block it out and resist the urge to watch.

This is especially true of Sam Darnold, when you hear enough times that everything is your fault, you’re a bust, you’re done, you can’t help but start to believe it a little bit.

Are some of the comments floating around factual, even deserved. However, this team of young guys needs to come together and have the resolve to prove the doubters wrong.

Don’t get down, get angry.

Everyone telling you that you’re a failure should motivate you that much more to play your heart out.

The mark of a truly great player is the ability to shrug off a bad play and go at the game with the same intensity on the next drive. Learn from the mistake but not dwell on it.

A big part of that is ignoring the noise, the boos and the sportscasters dragging your name through the dirt after praising you the day before.

If this team starts to buy into this negative energy then the season is already lost. That mentality will have to be expelled or these players may never get off the ground. That’s how important mental strength is.

The second a pitcher doesn’t believe they can hit the strike zone, a basketball player can’t hit a three, or a kicker is unable make a field goal, they must respond right or unravel.

This is a dangerous game the Panthers are playing with their young players right now. If something doesn’t turn around soon they are in danger of developing bad habits.