5 harsh lessons the Carolina Panthers must learn heading into Week 4 vs. Vikngs
By Ricky Raines
Carolina Panthers must maintain a balanced offensive approach
Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton drew the start in Week 3 at the Seattle Seahawks, and he seemed to be relishing the opportunity leading up to the game. I can’t help but think he likely didn’t expect to throw the ball 58 times, however.
That’s exactly what head coach Frank Reich ended up asking of the Red Rifle. And even though he delivered, it provided no balance schematically on offense once again.
The 58 attempts were the highest of his entire 13-year career. In a spot start, and a close game that the Carolina Panthers held a lead of at halftime - that’s just an unnecessary figure. Fifty-eight passing attempts to 14 total rushing plays - two of those being Dalton scrambling - is unacceptable.
The Carolina offense did itself no favors by being so one-dimensional. They executed a play-action concept on just six percent of snaps. As disheartening as that is, it completely checks out when you don’t give the opposing defense any reason to fear the possibility of a run.
Time of possession ended up favoring the Seahawks by just 56 seconds. Had the Panthers committed to the ground game, assuming they were able to execute at a decent enough rate, it’s possible they could’ve minimized the offensive success for Seattle and had a better chance to win this game.