5 harsh realities facing Carolina Panthers ahead of Week 3 vs. Saints
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers’ defense must create turnovers
One of the big talking points coming into the season was the defense needing to create takeaways if they wanted to go from good to elite. The Carolina Panthers ranked 28th in this category with just 16 turnovers in 2021.
Through the first two games of the season, it seems that the Panthers haven’t changed in that regard. They’re currently the only NFL team to not have a turnover through the first two games.
Considering Phil Snow’s unit has played against in Daniel Jones and Jacoby Brissett who turn the ball over regularly this is a concern. However, facing Jameis Winston in Week 3 gives Carolina the perfect opportunity to rectify this.
Looking at the positives, it’s not as though the Panthers haven’t created opportunities to take the ball away. Xavier Woods had an interception wiped out in Week 1 due to a pass interference penalty on C.J Henderson, and last Sunday we saw potentially a game-changing opportunity missed.
As the first half wound down, Frankie Luvu dropped a simple catch for what would have been his first career interception and possibly a pick-six. But it wasn’t to be.
Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints provides the chance for Carolina to finally create a takeaway. And they can take heart from the fact Winston was picked-off twice in the corresponding fixture in 2021.