5 major factors to blame for Carolina Panthers’ loss vs. Washington
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers struggled on 3rd down
It was a bad afternoon for the Carolina Panthers on third down. This was a problem on both sides of the football and something that played a leading role in their eventual demise.
You aren’t going to win much going 2-9 on third down and 1-3 on fourth down. Although quarterback Cam Newton played well considering his limited knowledge of the playbook with just one week of practice to go off.
Just bad execution in key moments coupled with poor situational football. And when one examines the Panthers’ efforts in 2021, these will be two areas that deserve to be scrutinized heavily.
If that wasn’t enough, the defense just couldn’t get Washington off the field. Something they can take advantage of with Taylor Heinicke under center as was proven in their upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.
Washington went 6-13 on third down and a perfect 2-2 on fourth-down conversions. The fact they managed to move the chains from a 3rd-and-21 situation in the second half was unacceptable and a microcosm of how things went for Carolina in this statistical category.
Back to the drawing board, one suspects. But these problems are ongoing and it comes down to coaching staff adjustments – or a lack thereof – to get better.