4 critical observations from the Panthers success vs. Falcons in Week 10
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers defense bounced back
The last two weeks have been rather gloomy for this Carolina Panthers’ defense and interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb. In Weeks 8 and 9, this talented unit gave up 37 and 42 points to go along with 464 and 406 yards, so a huge bounce-back contest was demanded by the fanbase.
So with the national cameras in town, fans were keen to see how this defense would respond. And they got off to the fast start we had come accustomed to.
Shaq Thompson set the tone early, and despite a score line of 25-15 indicating a close game, it always felt Carolina was the dominant side. The Panthers also limited a strong Atlanta Falcons running attack, restricting them to 138 yards on the ground.
We saw another stellar performance from Derrick Brown. The former Auburn man was a menace all night long, causing serious problems to the Falcons’ offensive line as the Panthers ended the game with five sacks.
Helped by some interesting throws from Marcus Mariota, the Panthers should have had more than a single interception courtesy of Jaycee Horn. And I am once again asking Xavier Woods to hit the jug machine.
One sour note was another injury to Donte Jackson, which seems to be a weekly occurrence now. The former LSU man left late with what turned out to be a torn Achillies that will keep him out this season and potentially next depending on the severity.