5 critical takeaways from the Carolina Panthers’ loss vs. the Falcons

What were the critical takeaways as the Carolina Panthers once again failed in all facets of play during their division matchup loss to the Atlanta Falcons?

A week after firing offensive coordinator Joe Brady, it was no surprise to see the Carolina Panthers show little signs of improvement under new play-caller Jeff Nixon. After an impressive first drive which ended with a Cam Newton touchdown run, the Atlanta Falcons defense then adapted quickly to stifle a stagnant offense which found no way to respond.

With Carolina now at 5-8 and considering the difficulty of their remaining schedule, it’s clearly within the realms of possibility that the Panthers will end the season 5-12 on a seven-game losing streak and a worse record than the first season under Matt Rhule.

Rhule is already firmly on the hot seat after a very inconsistent season. If Carolina fails to improve on its current number of wins you’d be hard-pressed to see a way the head coach can continue in his role.

This might be seen as giving up too soon. But the signs of progression simply aren’t there and team owner David Tepper’s eagerness for a winning product on the field is being jeopardized with poor personnel decisions and a real lack of in-game adjustments that seem to constantly hold the Panthers back in crucial moments.

Without further ado, here are five critical takeaways from yet another embarrassing loss for Carolina in front of their home fans.