5 Carolina Panthers who must play better down the stretch

Which Carolina Panthers players must step up their level of production when the team takes the field following their bye week?

After another eventful week surrounding the Carolina Panthers despite not playing a down on their bye week, attention now turns to turning things around and getting their campaign back on track. There’s been no shortage of drama during the team’s period of rest, with Christian McCaffrey and Donte Jackson ruled out for the remainder of the campaign and Matt Rhule also fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady in a desperate attempt to salvage something from 2021.

Unbelievably, the Panthers find themselves in the playoff hunt after the Week 13 action. This is in spite of their production on the field, obviously. But it might just be the glimmer of hope they need to galvanize a young locker room.

This is the business end of the campaign. Meaningful football hasn’t been seen that much in Carolina lately, so making the most of it is absolutely critical during what is sure to be a tough schedule.

With this in mind, here are five Panthers players that must step up and improve their production down the stretch.

Player No. 1

Pat Elflein – Carolina Panthers C

There’s no doubt Pat Elflein looks far more comfortable at the center spot rather than occupying one of the guard positions. But all around him seems to be faltering and this increases the pressure on the veteran’s shoulders over the next five games.

Much like the situation with most on the roster, this is an audition for Elflein to win the job in 2022. Matt Paradis is injured and out of contract, with Sam Tecklenburg seemingly not ready to assume command of a starting role anytime soon.

Cracks in Elflein’s game began to show in Week 12 at the Miami Dolphins. So the former Ohio State star needs to provide assurance from a blocking standpoint and continue to provide the right communication pre-snap.