5 crucial observations from Sam Darnold’s performance at the Falcons
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold was not helped by 1st half errors
Although Sam Darnold hasn’t been without blame for his poor recent run, a lot can be made of the lack of execution and silly mistakes from elsewhere on offense.
This was once again evident throughout the first half at the Atlanta Falcons. D.J. Moore dropped a sure-fire touchdown to extend his concerning run of individual mistakes and every time Darnold seemed to gain some momentum in the passing game, a penalty quickly halted any progress.
The Ian Thomas penalty that negated a big gain at a key moment was unacceptable. Royce Freeman also dropped a catchable ball and the offensive line also has their part to play.
Another big error came from tight end Tommy Tremble, with the rookie dropping a beautiful throw from Darnold late in the second quarter that sucked the life out of their drive at just the wrong time.
Carolina’s “Don’t Beat Ourselves” sign was a prominent feature throughout training camp.
This has not had the desired effect.
A distinct lack of execution even when Darnold is delivering dimes is costing the Carolina Panthers in a big way. Just why this keeps on happening to some outstanding skill position players is bemusing, to say the least.