4 critical observations from disastrous Carolina Panthers loss in Week 4
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers cannot adjust effectively
One of the biggest knocks on Matt Rhule during his NFL coaching career has been the lack of adjustments coming out of half-time. This was plain to see again on Sunday versus the Arizona Cardinals.
The Carolina Panthers led 10-3 going into the half and it seemed once again Rhule would get the better of Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. But in the break, we saw the opposition adjust perfectly, leaving the former Baylor man with no answer as Arizona scored 23 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
It seemed for large portions of the third quarter the Panthers barely had the ball. In fact, during one point early in the fourth quarter, Carolina’s offense had run just seven plays.
This has been a familiar tale. It seems under Rhule once the Panthers have to go off script and slightly out of their comfort zone, the offense just falls apart.
After an embarrassing defeat at the hands of a franchise the Panthers hadn’t lost to since 2013, the calls for team owner David Tepper to part ways with Rhule only intensified. With another college job at Wisconsin potentially becoming available, expect his name to once again be floating around the mill.
That might be the last thing on Rhule’s mind right now. But a few more losses might see the figure go into self-preservation mode regarding his own future.