4 huge disappointments from Carolina Panthers' loss at the Seahawks in Week 3

What were four disappointments to emerge as the Carolina Panthers fell to 0-3 for the first time since 2010 at the Seattle Seahawks?

It seems after an offseason that was filled with so much promise, it is almost impressive the way the Carolina Panthers’ season has come crashing back down to earth so quickly. They are now 0-3, the only team in the NFC South without a win, and with a tough stretch of games coming up, an upcoming success doesn’t seem likely as things stand.  

This was a thoroughly unprofessional and ill-disciplined performance from Frank Reich's time to a level we didn’t even see during Matt Rhule's disastrous tenure. Thirteen penalties - including seven false starts from the offensive line - showed a team who despite the assurances of the head coach were not prepared for Seattle's infamous 12th Man atmosphere. 

The fact Steve Wilks brought his rag-tag group of players to Lumen Field in Week 14 last season - led by quarterback Sam Darnold - and managed to get a huge road win is a damming indictment of Reich and this so-called all-star coaching staff.  

It was tough to take any positives from Sunday's encounter, but the play of both Andy Dalton and Adam Thielen deserves praise. The quarterback attempted a career-high 58 passes, completing 34 for 361 yards and two touchdowns.

After separation issues early in the season, Thielen was open often as he hauled in 11 receptions for 145 yards and a score. But sadly, it wasn't enough.

The Panthers host the 0-3 Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 for a make-or-break clash between two winless outfits. The thought of Justin Jefferson matching up with Donte Jackson frankly should fill everyone with dread.

That said, let’s break down four disappointments from another incredibly underwhelming loss.

Carolina Panthers were bitten hard by the injury bug

It’s fair to say the Carolina Panthers must have done something to annoy the football gods because their injury luck as it stands is nothing short of brutal. With Brady Christensen and Shaq Thompson both done for the season, Jaycee Horn on injured/reserve, Austin Corbett on the Physically Unable to Perform List, and Bryce Young nursing a sore ankle, they could ill afford any more complications.  

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Incredibly, another four starters were taken out of the game with Frankie Luvu, Xavier Woods, C.J. Henderson, and Jonathan Mingo all not finishing the contest.

Those injuries left an already thin defense even thinner and resulted in the likes of Deion Jones and Sam Franklin seeing extended snaps. To make matters worse, it was also reported that Brian Burns was limping during practice this week, although it didn't have an impact on his ability to participate.

Injuries in the secondary, when you have Justin Jefferson rolling into town next week, are far from ideal. Troy Hill is quickly emerging as the team's most reliable cornerback. But expecting a 32-year-old to cover arguably the league's best wideout for an entire game is asking for trouble.  

This leaves Donte Jackson the likely candidate. But as the weeks go by, the decision to extend the player is another issue of contention for general manager Scott Fitterer.

The player simply cannot be relied upon in coverage, D.K. Metcalf had six receptions for 112 receiving yards and had his way with Jackson for most of the contest.

He was inexplicably beaten by running back Kenneth Walker III on a first and 25 giving Seattle a key first down. To top it all off, Jackson was 'Moss'd' by undrafted free agent Jake Bobo for the final score after being beaten off the line.

For context, Bobo ran a five-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Carolina Panthers are a poorly coached team

Much of the offseason was spent praising the so-called all-star staff head coach Frank Reich had assembled with the Carolina Panthers. Three weeks into the season, it’s a struggle to see what this group is actually doing right. 

The offense continues to be vanilla and predictable. The sooner offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is given play-calling responsibilities, the better for Carolina and the poor fans forced to watch this tepid football week after week.  

But the lack of discipline we saw from the Panthers on Sunday was beyond anything seen under the tutelage of Matt Rhule, who was constantly hammered for the ill-discipline his teams showed. An incredible 13 penalties - including seven offensive line false starts - frankly signifies a team not prepared for Sunday's game in such a loud environment in the correct way.  

Reich did himself no favors post-game, stating in his post-game press conference that the Panthers' practice on Wednesday was actually louder than the Seattle 12th Man. If that was the case, there’s no excuse for the shoddy penalties we saw and it’s simply not good enough. 

It's early to go into full meltdown, which is evident across social media currently among the fanbase. But a lot of Reich's post-game comments are painfully reminiscent of Rhule and his cataclysmic tenure in Carolina.

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.  

Carolina Panthers run defense is a real problem

In scenes reminiscent of when Phil Snow was the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator, they once again cannot seem to stop the run. Through the first three weeks of the season, Ejiro Evero's unit has given up at least 130 rushing yards and two scores on the ground each week.  

On Sunday it was Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet who did the damage. Both players averaged more than five yards per carry during a dominant display from the duo.

The more concerning aspect is that Carolina - while being blighted with injuries in this contest - had a fully healthy defensive line to call on. This didn't prevent them from getting pushed around by a Seattle Seahawks offensive line missing four starters.  

The interior defensive line has simply not been good enough, Shy Tuttle has underwhelmed since arriving from the New Orleans Saints, and DeShawn Wiliams plays with tremendous effort but is very undersized at the position.

Behind those two, the depth leaves a lot to be decided. These factors make the decision for the Panthers to have released Marquan McCall earlier in the offseason an even stranger one.  

With the injuries to the linebackers and defensive backs not being able to stop the run is a real issue for Carolina. Having to stack the box to get any interior push on run defense leaves a very depleted secondary open to play action passes, and with Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson in town on Sunday, it could be a long game for the defense.