5 Carolina Panthers on the hot seat at Saints in Week 18

Al Holcomb – Carolina Panthers interim DC

Just when the Carolina Panthers needed a big performance from their defense, they faltered in the biggest possible way. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers exposed their weakness within the secondary en route to a late rally, which was thanks in no small part to Jaycee Horn’s broken wrist ruling him out of the clash.

There were no adjustments on Carolina’s part. And almost no help across the backend for the floundering cornerbacks despite Mike Evans scorching the Panthers for no fewer than three touchdowns on the day.

This put the spotlight on Al Holcomb, the interim defensive coordinator whose status with the team is entirely dependent on whether Steve Wilks wins the head coaching job or not.

Holcomb’s enjoyed some nice moments since replacing Phil Snow. But they’ve come up short in pivotal moments and even if Wilks does get the interim tag removed, it might be worth exploring alternative possibilities for the permanent defensive coordinator position.

Whether Holcomb can alter this perception in Week 18 at the New Orleans Saints is debatable. This is a dead-rubber contest with nothing much other than divisional pride at stake, so there’s just no telling which way it’ll go all things considered.

If Holcomb can galvanize this group before the 2022 season comes to an end, it might help. But there’s absolutely no guarantee whatsoever.