4 burning questions from Carolina Panthers fans heading into Week 3 at Seahawks
Carolina Panthers offensive struggles
What is the problem on offense? - Ben F.
First, I appreciate Ben for bringing some good questions to the mailbag almost every week. Second, this is a broad question but we will be diving into all of it right now.
The problem with the Carolina Panthers offense is a combination of a lot of things: the interior offensive line breakdowns; play-sequencing and timing; issues at wide receiver i.e. creating separation, and more. For the most part, these are all the glaring issues that we can see on television or the All-22 coaches film.
The offensive line group suffered a significant loss with Brady Christensen, who is out for the season with a bicep tear. With Austin Corbett missing until at least Week 5, the group is dealing with a rookie at left guard (Chandler Zavala) and what seems to be a rotation at right guard between Cade Mays, Calvin Throckmorton, and possibly rookie Nash Jensen.
Mays underwhelmed and seemed to be a factor in a lot of the pressures within the pocket Monday. Don't expect the second-year guard to be starting this weekend at the Seattle Seahawks.
From a play-calling perspective, I think different calls in certain situations could be better on Frank Reich's part. The designs are good, though the sequencing and the timing are way off with players either running the wrong routes, into each other, or not being on the same page with the quarterback.
In other words, it's a mess.
This wide receiver corps has also been very frustrating to watch. No one has been able to create separation on a consistent basis in the last two weeks.
Whether this is early season jitters or an issue of chemistry between the receivers and quarterback, it feels like it could be something that won't be corrected anytime soon.
The Panthers need to find a way to have a more consistent offense that benefits the franchise, their rookie signal-caller, and a good defensive operation. Could that be going back to what Carolina did late last season: run the ball 25-30 times, work the play-action game off the run, and utilize more 12 or 13 personnel sets?
With the personnel Carolina has currently, it could be a temporary fix. Right now, there are a lot of issues that will take time to correct in all facets of the passing game.