5 Carolina Panthers on the hot seat entering Week 7 at Commanders
By Dean Jones
Another losing season is staring the Carolina Panthers squarely in the face. Dave Canales has his back against the wall and is searching for answers. The head coach wasn't expecting this to be easy, but the challenge was more complex than even he anticipated during the offseason.
Canales has to rally the troops heading into Week 7 against the Washington Commanders. These are two teams seemingly heading in different directions. The Panthers remain among the bottom feeders while head coach Dan Quinn is leading the NFC East outfit on a remarkable resurgence in a relatively short space of time.
This is a stern test for the Panthers. They are under-strength and had an injury report longer than a J.R.R. Tolkien novel on Thursday. However, the Commanders have problems worth exploiting in pursuit of an unlikely victory on the road.
The pressure is on to perform. With this in mind, here are five Panthers firmly on the hot seat entering Week 7 at Northwest Stadium.
Carolina Panthers on the hot seat entering Week 7 at Commanders
Ejiro Evero - Carolina Panthers DC
Ejiro Evero is trying to find answers to some ongoing defensive complications. The Carolina Panthers' defense is going through turmoil on this side of the football. They are depleted and don't have the right depth to make up for some established stars missing from the equation. That's a big problem with 11 games remaining.
The challenges don't get any easier for Evero this weekend. Kliff Kingsbury's offense is one of the league's most efficient. They can gain yards however they want and have enough explosiveness to take downfield opportunities when they arise. After overcoming some early growing pains, things have clicked over the last month.
This will be a stern test of Evero's credentials. He's got ambitions to be an NFL head coach after coming close on two occasions during previous cycles. If he can conjure up the schematic magic to make life difficult for Jayden Daniels et al, it'll be another impressive notch for his résumé.
Easier said than done, but it's essential if the Panthers want to be competitive in this one. If the same struggles emerge, the Commanders are going to put up significant points early and often.