The Panther loss to the Bucs looked familiar, but at least there is a bright side.
There is no other way to put it other than this: the Carolina Panthers lost a game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers they clearly should have won. Pulling defeat from the jaws of victory like that, against a divisional opponent and in the manner it happened, brought back feelings many fans have not had since the infamous DJ Moore helmet game in 2022. You remember, that game where the Panthers scored a touchdown within the last minute of the game that should have been the dagger, squandered the lead, ended up in overtime, had a chance at redemption after stopping the initial offensive drive, made it within field goal range with victory all but assured… and then lost? Yes, that one.
Slightly distressing comparisons aside, the growth of the Panthers team from lifeless to capable of going toe-to-toe with the reigning world champs and the best team in the division is a monumental leap forward. Losses like these are somewhat excusable in a rebuilding phase – call them ‘growing pains’ – but that leniency won’t last forever. For now, optimism springs from the growth the team has shown in recent weeks, particularly at the quarterback position. Near misses like those tend to stop being endearing and start being frustrating rather quickly. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.
Until then, let’s enjoy some competitive football in Charlotte, North Carolina and continue believing that the positive takeaways over the past month from the Dave Canales-led squad are just signs of great things to come.
Just like an emotionally draining day has you reaching for comfort foods and beverages, watching the cardiac cats lose in heartbreaking fashion in overtime yet again has me wanting some comfort. With that in mind, I’m breaking out the ever-reliable format for this week’s game review: let’s look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Sunday’s loss to the Bucs.
The Good
Bryce Young – again
Those of you who have been around awhile will remember I was one of the biggest supporters of Young in the draft process. He was my number one guy all along and I was thrilled when it was clear the Panthers front office agreed with me. I defended him through his rookie season and throughout the offseason. But after the first two weeks of this season, I was done. I was certain he didn’t have “it”.
Yet, here we are. Once again, I have started believing in him, although less than I did prior to watching his first 17 NFL starts. Young has added another impressive showing to his string of above average performances and the jury is once again deliberating on whether Young might just be “the guy”. 4 big time throws, 0 turnover worthy throws on 46 attempts, an average depth of target of 10.4 yards, a 79.2 PFF passing grade, only a 4.2 pressure to sack % and leading 2 separate drives that both should have been “game winning” – however you feel about him, Young has been playing winning football.
Defensive Rookie Duo
For my money, rookie cornerback Chau Smith-Wade’s performance was by far the most unexpected development on Sunday. After a poor performance by Dane Jackson last week, Smith-Wade received the starting nod from the Panthers. In 31 coverage snaps, Smith-Wade had a 90.6 coverage grade and gave up a passer rating of 34.7. Add a clutch interception within the two minute warning of the first half and 7 tackles, including 2 run stops without being credited for a missed tackle, and you have yourself a great performance.
The other rookie defender from the draft class who saw playing time, Trevin Wallace, also had a strong day, albeit not as flashy as Smith-Wade. Wallace finished with a 64.8 overall PFF grade but came up with a monumental sack in overtime that drove the Bucs to attempting a longer-than-it-should-have-been field goal that ended up missing left, giving the Panthers the ball in great position with just a field goal needed to ice the game.
The Bad
Receiver Woes
For as impressive as Young was on the day, it could have looked even more incredible had his receivers been able to make the plays that were there for the taking. Adam Thielen performed well and was robbed of a touchdown because of a questionable ruling on the field, but had he just caught the ball cleanly instead of juggling it the Panthers have 4 more points going into halftime. Xavier Legette had some nice moments, but left more plays on the field than he made. David Moore consistently let the ball bounce off his hands and hit the turf, stalling drives and taking potential points off the board.
Redzone
For the second week in a row, the Panthers consistently failed to execute in the redzone. This week, they went 1-4 for a measly 25% success rate. Getting to the redzone is not the problem for this team, but once they face the condensed field, their details are just not sharp enough. Missed blocks, dropped balls, pre-snap penalties and ineffective play-calling are all possible excuses, but are all unacceptable. If the Panthers hope to win any games down the stretch, they’ll have to score 6 when inside the 20 yard line, not just 3.
The Ugly
Special Teams
Speaking of redzone woes, it really doesn’t help when the kicker who was recently bestowed the “most accurate kicker in NFL history” title suddenly starts missing after making nearly 40 in a row in Bank of America stadium. Eddy Pinero’s two missed field goals in the first half loom large in a game decided by 3 points.
Then there is Johnny Hekker, whose dismal performance has flown under the radar. Hekker had the second most punt attempts of the week in the NFL. For players with more than 1 attempt, he ranked dead last in the NFL for the week in PFF’s punting grade and in yards per attempt. Hekker’s leg is not what it used to be as he was unable to have a punt downed inside the 20 yard line. Stats aside, it is clear that his punts lack hangtime and don’t have the ability to flip the field anymore.
That’s all I have for you Panthers fans, hope you’ve enjoyed this one. I’ll see you back here next week to discuss the Panthers battle versus the Philadelphia Eagles. As always, keep pounding!