10 quick thoughts from the Panthers win vs. Buccaneers in Week 7

Brian Burns’ importance to the Carolina Panthers

Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed prior to the game that the Carolina Panthers turned down a trade offer consisting of two first-round selections for Brian Burns. On the basis of Sunday’s performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s not hard to see why.

Burns was an absolute menace from start to finish, creating pressure at will and making things incredibly difficult for veteran quarterback Tom Brady. Another fine example of why the defensive end must stay around as a core foundational piece.

Carolina Panthers approach without Christian McCaffrey

There were some real concerns about the offense after trading Christian McCaffrey, who’s been such an integral part of their game plan since entering the league. It was always going to look different, but things weren’t as bad as originally feared all things considered.

The Panthers got plenty of people involved with the likes of D’Onta Foreman, Chuba Hubbard, and Raheem Blackshear sharing responsibilities out of the backfield. Carolina managed 350 yards of total offense, but it was more than people envisaged in the immediate aftermath of McCaffrey’s departure.

Carolina Panthers looked more efficient

There might have been plenty of empty seats across Bank of America Stadium. But it was a more efficient product on the field than fans witnessed at any stage during the Matt Rhule era.

Steve Wilks has an enormous task on his hands, which was made even more difficult without McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson. However, the interim head coach can relax safe in the knowledge his players are responding to new methods and fighting hard to turn things around.