Panthers News: Bryce Young, Chris Tabor, Brian Burns and Jaycee Horn
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers questionable calls
Despite struggling in difficult weather conditions for the majority of this game, the Carolina Panthers had a shot to tie or win down the stretch. But in a critical third-and-one situation, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown opted for two straight passing plays - the last of which resulted in another interception for rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
This came in for significant criticism post-game, especially given how well Chuba Hubbard was running the football and how depleted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were at linebacker. While similar situations resulted in tackles for loss, these came from the shotgun, so it might have been worth deploying a rushing play from under center at least once.
When talking about the calls after the game. interim head coach Chris Tabor stated that it was the offensive staff that ran the show. Brown got play-calling duties back after Frank Reich was fired, so the buck stops with him.
If one of the passing plays had come off, this wouldn't be a discussion. But these calls were not playing to Carolina's obvious strengths and the fact Miles Sanders was on the field on fourth down gave the game away in terms of play call.
Hopefully, things can improve with another week of familiarization and tweaks. Just don't hold your breath.