3 winners (and 4 losers) from Carolina Panthers' loss at the Bears
By Dean Jones
Winner No. 1
Jalen Coker - Carolina Panthers WR
Finding positives when the performance is so lackluster can be difficult. The Carolina Panthers didn't cover themselves in glory once again and were fighting a losing battle from a long way out. However, there were a few shining lights amid the chaos that head coach Dave Canales should pinpoint.
Jalen Coker was one of them. The undrafted free-agent wide receiver looked like the team's best option in the passing game. This is an indictment of others, but it cannot be seen as anything other than a plus. It's also much more than the likes of Jonathan Mingo have shown throughout the campaign to date.
Coker brought in all four of his targets for 68 receiving yards, including a beautiful deep sideline grab that was the best moment of Carolina's offensive output in the passing game by a considerable margin. Whether this amounts to further involvement moving forward remains to be seen, but the Panthers have nothing to lose by putting more on his plate at this stage.
The former Holy Cross standout deserves credit for the way he applied himself. Not many on the Panthers could say that after their latest debacle in Week 5.
Loser No. 2
Carolina Panthers defensive line
Losing Derrick Brown for the season after just one game was always going to cause issues for the defensive front. He's the team's best player and one of the few with genuine Pro Bowl-caliber production to speak of. His loss has further exposed a front three that isn't up to the required standard.
Shy Tuttle was back at the nose tackle spot but once again failed to meet even modest expectations. Just why Ejiro Evero is persisting with this failed experiment is anyone's guess, but the Panthers are suffering greatly from not having a genuine anchor capable of clogging up space on the interior.
Veteran free-agent signing A'Shawn Robinson isn't doing enough. He came to the Panthers as a stout run stuffer and isn't meeting this billing as yet. Brown going down was a body blow, but others need to pick up the slack and stop getting run over almost constantly.
This is a weak link to the surprise of nobody. Until they find a way to adjust and rectify these problems, opposing offenses will continue to target them accordingly.