The Carolina Panthers have 70 accepted penalties so far this season (635 yards) in eight games — an average of 8.8 penalties (79.4 yards) per game.
This makes them the second-most-penalized team in the NFL and the team with the most penalty yards per game.
After 13 penalties (119 yards) in their loss to the Denver Broncos, it’s clear that Carolina is struggling with this issue.
Carolina Panthers won't get anywhere without solving their discipline issues
The Panthers are currently 3-5, and with the NFC South still in reach, they can't keep giving away penalties through poor execution or discipline.
In Week 6’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles, they had 13 penalties (149 yards). While they won the game, it will be difficult to maintain that level of play.
They were finally caught out with penalties against Denver.
Four of the 13 penalties were defensive pass interference. This meant they kept giving the Broncos chances to extend their drives.
With the Panthers losing by just five points, these are the sort of penalties that can cost them the game. Both offensively and defensively, they have struggled.
Holding and false starts have kept them from getting ahead of the chains. And the Panthers have plenty to deal with without constantly shooting themselves in the foot.
Carolina Panthers haven't found the right answers to reducing their penalties yet
Now, there is some context to consider here.
The Panthers entered the game against the Broncos with an injured secondary, and Corey Thornton and Marco Wilson (both practice squad promotions) were playing at corner. They struggled with penalties.
However, there is only so much you can blame on injuries.
Even before the game, they were one of the most penalized teams in the NFL. And given the relatively large sample size, it's a collective failure.
They gained more yards than Denver (353-312) and were in with a chance to win late on in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Bryce Young completed 28 of 39 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns.
However, they still lost their third game in a row.
Of course, they didn’t lose the game solely because of penalties. They also had two turnovers, including a strip sack late in the contest.
When you’re struggling to win tight games, giving away almost 120 yards through penalties doesn’t help.
With the Panthers sitting at 3-5 and heading into a divisional clash with the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dave Canales needs to find a way to sort this out.
They have shown they can compete against good teams on both sides of the ball. As proven in the Broncos game.
But the Panthers are not going to win games if they’re constantly giving teams extra chances.
Eliminating their penalties should be the top priority on Canales’ agenda if they want to turn their season around.
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