Undermanned or not, the Carolina Panthers defense wasn’t up to any degree of snuff in yesterday’s outing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So, head coach Dave Canales addressed the state of the unit this afternoon, less than 24 hours following the 48-14 loss.
“Just focusing on the Falcons—trying to shore up, attack their run game,” Canales replied on Monday when asked if there’ll be any changes for Week 18. “We know that they’re gonna do that. They’re gonna try to run the ball, so we’ll take that first and foremost.”
Their latest opponent certainly ran the ball—and passed it alarmingly well, too. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 27 of his 32 throws on Sunday for 359 yards and five touchdowns while rookie running back Bucky Irving spearheaded a 206-yard output on the ground.
Tampa Bay ended their blowout victory with 551 total yards and 33 first downs. In comparison, Carolina amassed 204 yards and 13 first downs.
Canales was then asked about the long-term viability of continuing in their 3-4 defensive scheme.
“That’s our scheme,” he stated. “I love this scheme. I know what it looks like when it’s done well. And that’s my hope—is to continue to just build on that and continue to just improve on the concepts.”
Following the Week 17 defeat, the Panthers have now allowed 496 points—the most in the NFL and the most in franchise history.