5 critical observations from Sam Darnold’s 2021 season
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold was not the same without Christian McCaffrey
Having the league’s best security blanket was an exceptional thing for Sam Darnold to lean on during his first few games with the Carolina Panthers. The team’s star running back Christian McCaffrey was back fit and firing on all cylinders after turning out just three times in 2020, which was expected to be a major boost for the quarterback and the organization overall.
Again, the start was promising. McCaffrey looked like his old self both on running downs and helping Darnold move the chains in the passing game.
But another injury in Week 3 at the Houston Texans brought this momentum to an abrupt halt.
And Darnold was never the same after that.
Not having McCaffrey in the backfield meant more was required of Darnold. This is where mistakes began to happen and although the offensive line didn’t exactly help matters, the remainder of the campaign was full of missed opportunities and errors that ended up costing Carolina in a big way.
Even when McCaffrey came back briefly, Darnold didn’t benefit. Unless the former first-round pick and the Panthers can come up with a solution regarding how to function better when the All-Pro misses time, they won’t get very far next time around.