4 huge disappointments from Carolina Panthers' loss at the Seahawks in Week 3
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers OL had a difficult day
After a solid start to the season, the offensive line that had so many worried in preseason once again showed signs of fragility on Sunday. Outside of center Bradley Bozeman, it was a tough afternoon at the office for the other four.
Andy Dalton was sacked three times but seemed to be under pressure for a lot of his dropbacks, regularly taking hits. The Carolina Panthers also had a measly 44 rushing yards.
While part of that blame goes to running back Miles Sanders - who seems to be lacking any sort of burst - the offensive line also got little to no push upfront. That is a real problem.
Growing doubts are still flying around second-year left tackle Ikem Ekwonu. Four false start penalties - including two back-to-back - righty drew the ire of fans and the player himself called the infringements ridiculous post-game.
We also saw two false starts for right tackle Taylor Moton and one from rookie left guard Chandler Zavala. A total of seven false start penalties from the offensive line regardless of the atmosphere is frankly unacceptable.
What yesterday truly showed was how Carolina is missing its two starting guards. Many were quick to crown Zavala the future at left guard before even taking a snap and casting aside Brady Christensen. While of course, it’s early for the former North Carolina State man, he struggled immensely against veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who racked up eight tackles and 1.5 sacks.
As for Calvin Throckmorton, the former New Orleans Saint also failed to shine. At 309 pounds, he’s undersized at guard, and that showed as he generated very little in the way of momentum.
Corbett is eligible to return after Week 4 and the Panthers will be desperate for some good news on this front. In the meantime, Carolina may persist with Throckmorton, but I'd certainly be inclined to give either Cade Mays or Nash Jensen a run.