4 bold changes the Panthers must consider after Week 15 thumping
By Dean Jones
What bold changes should the Carolina Panthers consider following their Week 15 thumping against the Pittsburgh Steelers?
It didn’t take long for the enthusiasm and newfound momentum enveloping the Carolina Panthers to subside. Their humbling loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 was thoroughly deserved – a game they were never really in as their objective to Protect the Bank failed miserably.
Despite this, the Panthers have fate in their hands, Three wins on the bounce secure the NFC South, but there’s little to no confidence of that happening based on how Sunday’s thrashing went from start to finish.
Steve Wilks will be demanding nothing but maximum commitment after such a lackluster showing. But the margin for error is now non-existent and their Week 16 clash with the Detroit Lions looks incredibly difficult given their outstanding run of form.
It’ll take a monumental effort. But here are four bold changes Carolina must consider in the wake of their latest underachievement on home soil.
Bold Change No. 1
Carolina Panthers should use Laviska Shenault Jr. at RB
The Carolina Panthers just couldn’t get anything going on the ground in Week 15. They lost heavily at the line of scrimmage and Mike Tomlin knew exactly what was coming after studying the blueprint as part of his thorough preparations.
Using D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard has an air of predictability about it. If the Panthers want to throw a curveball into the mix, it might be worth allocating some carries in Laviska Shenault Jr.’s direction down the stretch.
Shenault is proven to make things happen with the ball in his hands. Carolina should utilize this more often and having the former second-round pick coming out of the backfield is something most teams won’t expect.