The Carolina Panthers got a little bit ahead of themselves entering Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints. As it turned out, complacency became their undoing.
And fourth-year offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu confirmed it with a brutal assessment of the team's failure to grasp a significant opportunity.
The Panthers didn't turn up ready to play. They were sluggish out of the gate, were ineffective in every phase, and let a one-win team dominate proceedings almost from start to finish. This devastating loss sucked the life out of Bank of America Stadium, and Ekwonu pulled no punches about why things went the way they did.
Ikem Ekwonu calls out Carolina Panthers teammates for complacent approach
Ekwonu called out his teammates for just going through the motions during preparations for the clash. The former North Carolina State standout also revealed that a couple of veterans and head coach Dave Canales spoke about this during the week. Attention to detail matters, and the Panthers found that out to their cost.
"We just weren't locked into the small details. And you know, a couple guys spoke about it. Coach spoke about it throughout the week. And you can't get days back. You know, if you have a tough day on Thursday, tough day on Friday, or whatever, you can always look forward. But you can't get that day back. So that preparation, or lack thereof, is going to add up. And unfortunately, that just cultivated to what we saw today."Ikem Ekwonu
This is entirely unacceptable. The Panthers have achieved almost nothing for a decade. They've been a laughingstock for much of that time in league circles. To let complacency creep into the approach just because you're one game above .500 is staggering.
It's the NFL. The Saints may have been 1-8 entering the game, but it's a divisional rivalry where form often goes out of the window. Carolina treated it like a game where they had to turn up to win, and they came unstuck at the worst possible time.
This is a damning assessment from Ekwonu. He wasn't the only one to see standards slip. The matter was addressed internally, but the damage had been done. One only had to look at how they performed throughout their most disappointing defeat of the campaign to see that.
Players and coaches need to take a good look in the mirror. The Panthers might be on the right track, but they are in no position to be overlooking anybody. Some harsh words and a massive response are needed. Otherwise, the same could happen in Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons.