4 keys to victory for the Carolina Panthers at Buccaneers in Week 18

Carolina Panthers must keep Sam Darnold upright

This is one of those”well duh” moments, but it still begs mention.

The Carolina Panthers were torched for seven sacks on Sunday and no team can win, no quarterback can perform, under that kind of duress. Cameron Jordan alone had 3.5 of those sacks and he was priority No. 1 on any passing play.

The sheer amount of check-downs for no gain on Sunday proves that point. Sam Darnold was flustered and rushed, wanting nothing more than to get the ball out of his hands no matter where it went. It also directly led to the game-sealing interception.

When a quarterback is rushed they make bad decisions and lose their technique for fear of getting hit again. It happens, but it’s still an issue that needs to be addressed.

However, there is not much Carolina can do before the final game of the season to fix what has been the worst offensive line in recent memory. The team has given up 14 sacks in the last two games and half of those came against the team they will be facing this weekend.

John Miller does not deserve to be a starter. It’s insane that the Panthers willingly trot the underperforming guard out game after game.

With that said, it will be no easy task to protect Darnold against what is still a very stout Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line. But if the team wants any sort of downfield attack they have to keep the pocket clean for the young quarterback.

Give the player time to make his reads comfortably and step into a good throw, that is when he can be special. Against the kind of defense the Buccaneers have, providing this for Darnold is the only way to keep this game from turning into a disaster.