5 silver linings from Carolina Panthers' loss vs. the Bengals in Week 4
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers offensive line impressed
The Carolina Panthers were dealt a blow with the absence of stud left guard Damien Lewis for their Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Many wondered how the offensive line would cope without one of their top performers. As it turned out, any fears were quashed with another accomplished display overall from the group.
Taylor Moton put on another pass-blocking clinic at right tackle. Carolina's run blocking was a slight weakness on occasion, but nothing to be overly concerned about. The introduction of Chandler Zavala over Brady Christensen to replace Lewis was warranted after the second-year pro looked much more comfortable, giving up just one hurry according to Pro Football Focus.
The Panthers continue to get exceptional production from center Austin Corbett and right guard Robert Hunt. Ikem Ekwonu isn't making mistakes either, which resulted in veteran quarterback Andy Dalton having clean pockets throughout and the protection giving up zero sacks during the contest.
This is quickly becoming the most positive element of the season so far. General manager Dan Morgan invested heavily in the offensive line and moved some pieces around. It's paying off in the best possible way through the opening four weeks of the campaign.
Carolina Panthers were competitive
You don't get anything for moral victories in the NFL. The Panthers took another loss, but fans were relatively upbeat after Dave Canales' team put together a much more competitive performance versus a Cincinnati Bengals squad expected to make noise in the postseason despite their sluggish start.
Carolina's long-suffering fanbase is realistic after experiencing nothing but misery since David Tepper purchased the franchise from Jerry Richardson. They know a playoff challenge or even a winning record might be beyond them in Year 1 under Canales. What they do want to see is some fight from the players and strong execution from the coaching staff.
In that sense, it was mission accomplished in Week 4. It's a results business, of course, but this game represented another step in the right direction. The silly mistakes cost them rather than anything too demoralizing.
The Panthers can take heart from the performance rather than the outcome. Canales believes his team isn't too far away from making a statement. With a decent stretch of fixtures over the next month, don't be surprised if Carolina manages to pick up a couple more wins along the way.
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