4 critical observations from the Panthers’ defeat at Bucs in Week 17
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers were too conservative
Steve Wilks deserves immense praise for the turnaround he’s masterminded. The Carolina Panthers squad that took the field on Sunday was unrecognizable from the one booed off in Matt Rhule’s last game – the embarrassing defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
However, one criticism leveled at Wilks has been how conservative he’s been in certain situations. Something came back to bite the Panthers.
We saw multiple fourth and short situations around midfield in which Carolina decided to punt instead of going for it. When facing quarterback Tom Brady, it’s imperative when you’re ahead to keep your foot on the gas.
Unfortunately for Carolina, they gave Brady just enough rope to get back into the game and eventually took it from the Panthers’ reach.
There was a critical point in the game with the Panthers up 14-0 and just over two minutes left in the first half. Carolina again elected to punt in a fourth and short situation, which resulted in Brady hitting Mike Evans on a deep ball as he burned the struggling Keith Taylor Jr. to completely swing the momentum.
While Wilks should be one of the front runners for the Panthers’ permanent job his conservatism may work against him when owner David Tepper starts his coaching search.