Carolina Panthers must fine-tune fundamental flaws to be more competitive

It was another losing weekend for the Carolina Panthers in what is becoming a theme once again. They had every opportunity to put the game away against their division rival Atlanta Falcons, but simply could not finish the job.

That isn't to say it was all bad. Many of the young fill-in pieces for the team showed marked improvements. Undrafted rookie Jalen Coker built on his Week 5 performance with a solid three-catch effort that was key to the Panthers pulling within five before the half.

Another player who showed encouraging progress was first-year tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, who capitalized on the absence of Tommy Tremble to the tune of five receptions for 49 receiving yards. Not exactly world-changing statistics, but it's a start. The fact he was able to get open at all is a testament to the strides being made.

Both of those players showed a much-improved ability to exploit holes in the zone coverage the Falcons love to employ. This is without even mentioning the highlight reel catches by Xavier Legette that show just how dangerous the first-rounder can be with a little more polish.

Carolina Panthers are making too many avoidable mistakes in key moments

Things did not fare quite as well on defense. There was some steady improvement. There was also a serious issue with communication and pre-snap reads.

These things come with experience, which the Panthers are sorely lacking as an organization. But there was one bright spot, which is admittedly hard to find when three of the top four tacklers are members of the secondary.

This bright spot was Charles Harris. A former first-round selection that has never lived up to that billing. And while the stats do not exactly paint a picture of excellence, that is not the entire story.

Harris showed a motor that didn't quit and a drive for the quarterback that few players possess. No play exemplified this more than when a double team did little than alter his course. This will pay dividends before long. Especially if some other pieces along Carolina's defensive line can come back healthy.

This is where the good ends. A lot went into this loss, but most of it can be boiled down to mistakes and missed opportunities.

The Panthers had a total of 10 penalties for 79 yards. This is incredibly difficult to overcome for a solid team, let alone one with the issues that this one has currently. What hurt the most is that one infringement exchanged seven points for three.

With the Panthers driving in Atlanta territory on their second possession, Ikem Ekwonu was flagged for a false start that put the team way behind the sticks. Without a masterful catch by Dionte Johnson, Carolina would have had to settle for a field goal. This is after the starting left tackle ended the opening drive with another false start.

With the game very much still in reach at the start of the second half, Damien Lewis committed a hold that once again set the team behind the sticks in the red zone. Instead of potentially tying things up, the Panthers had to settle for making it a five-point contest.

The team failed to capitalize on the opportunities gifted to them by the Falcons. On two separate occasions, the Panthers almost intercepted Kirk Cousins only for the ball to fall harmlessly to the turf for what would have been easy touchdowns.

Mistakes and missed opportunities kill teams. That is exactly what happened to the Panthers this week. And this is without counting for Andy Dalton's crucial interception after Dave Canales went away from the ground game that was working so well.

While some of these can be waved away as a lack of experience or rookie learning curves, players like Dalton and this offensive line should know better. Quite frankly, they are being paid to be better.

This team has to play near-perfect football to win this season. When a game unfolds like this, there is little chance to eke out a victory. There is potential here, it just needs a little polish before it can truly shine.

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