4 critical observations from the Panthers loss at LA Rams in Week 6

Carolina Panthers didn’t trust P.J. Walker

If Carolina Panthers fans wanted any indication of the game plan with P.J. Walker as the starting quarterback, they got all their answers on the game’s first drive. This was the most successful of the contest and it was a heavy dose of Christian McCaffrey, who received eight touches alone.

While we saw some success on the first drive, it didn’t take long for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to adapt and the writing was on the wall from then on. Carolina’s coaching staff clearly had no trust in Walker to pass the ball deep and when he tried to get the football past the line of scrimmage, the waywardness of his throws justified this hesitation.

Walker ended with a 62.5 completion percentage for just 60 passing yards. Incredibly just one of his completed passes went past the line of scrimmage.

The question remains: if the staff has this little trust in Walker why was he named the starter?

Walker is 2-0 when opening a game in Carolina and while he can be panicky when he gets to the red zone, the former XFL MVP candidate generally moves the ball well in between.

Despite this, Carolina’s confidence in Walker to deliver the goods was non-existent, making an already predictable offense even more putrid. Considering he’s been around the team for the entire offseason, it proves how much of a Matt Rhule guy he was and might not last much longer once Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield get back to full health.