5 reasons the Panthers are struggling
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns, and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
The Carolina Panthers, last season's Super Bowl runners-up, now sit at 1-3 and are essentially 2.5 games behind Atlanta in the NFC South after the Falcons whipped Carolina 48-33 on Sunday. In reality, the Falcons dominated the game more than the score indicates. Yes, the Panthers have faced a very difficult schedule, with losses in Denver, at home to the Vikings, and in Atlanta. Those three all look like playoff teams and fortunately, Carolina's slate is easier going forward. Still, the Panthers have been outscored 70-43 over the past two games and there are several areas of concern.
Cam isn’t Superman
Cam Newton was amazing last year and won the MVP award while leading the Panthers to greatness. This year, Newton has been good, but not great, and due to the problems listed below, Carolina is sitting with a losing record. Never the most mechanically sound passer to begin with, Newton’s accuracy has come and gone this season and his receiving corps hasn’t done him any favors of late either. Man coverage has particularly presented a problem for the passing game. There's no doubt Newton has faced two exceptional defenses in the Broncos and Vikings, and he's taken a massive beating in the process. In the big picture, there isn’t a real reason to be worried about Newton, but in the short term, his concussion situation is obviously of massive concern. At least the Panthers play Monday, so Newton has an extra day to heal his many ailments. He can’t turn this team around on his own though.
Jonathan Stewart is badly missed
As we saw late in the 2015 regular season, the Panthers running game just wasn’t the same without Stewart. The former first-round pick is a true workhorse and loaded with ability. The drop off behind him is significant, which makes it very curious why Carolina didn’t make his backup more of an offseason priority, especially considering Stewart’s injury history. With Stewart sidelined since Week 1 with a hamstring injury, the combination of Fozzy Whitaker and Cameron Artis Payne simply isn’t getting it done. Artis Payne has 47 rushing yards this year and Whitaker has just 28 yards over the past two games. Fortunately for the Panthers, and their run-first offensive approach, Stewart should be back before long. His presence should again electrify the play action deep passing game, a stable of this offense.
Offensive tackles are a liability
The reality is that Mike Remmers and Michael Oher were liabilities for much of Carolina’s 15-1 run last season and we all got to see those shortcomings in the Super Bowl. The Panthers, as much as any NFL team, have very clear organizational team-building guidelines and - unlike many teams - Carolina doesn’t invest heavily in the tackle position and on the offensive line. They prefer to be stronger on the inside rather than on the perimeter. Well, that's coming back to bite them right now. The Panthers won’t face Denver and Minnesota’s pass-rush every week and should be okay against the Buccaneers and Saints before their Week 7 bye. But don’t expect Remmers and Oher to turn into Jordan Gross at any point. Oher didn’t play last week, which sent Remmers to the left side and Daryl Williams into the starting lineup. The results weren't any better.
Secondary is poor
Julio Jones just ripped this group for 300 yards! Carolina chose not to keep Josh Norman - even though they had him under contract with the franchise tag for the 2016 season - and replaced him with unproven rookies. Jones did the bulk of his damage against Bene Benwikere, who isn’t a rookie, but also has no business trying to follow the league’s top wide receivers. And Jones wasn’t the only Falcons’ pass-catcher running free. The Panthers ask less from their defensive backs than possibly any defense in the league. They play a ton of simple zone schemes, trust their pass rush to hurry the quarterback, and realize their amazing second level defenders cover so much ground that less is needed from the back end. The linebackers are holding up their massive side of the deal. However, more is needed from this secondary than what the Panthers are getting, so hopefully the youngsters will improve.
More edge pass rush is needed
Carolina had three sacks against the Falcons, but none from a defensive end. They had two against the Vikings lowly offensive line with Lavar Edwards as the only end to get to Sam Bradford. They had two sacks against the 49ers, but again, just one from a defensive end, but no defensive end sacks in Denver. Sacks aren’t everything, but more is needed from a defense that prefers to rush four and needs their edge players to be difference makers. Unfortunately, this might not be getting any better.