Panthers stood pat at trade deadline. Sunday, defensive end Mario Addison showed why.

Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline came and went without so much as a peep from the Carolina Panthers, who opted to stand pat.

Withe their team’s pass rush ranked in the bottom half of the league in sacks, Panthers fans wanted an additional pass rusher — and voiced their displeasure on social media.

During Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay, Mario Addison showed why the Panthers felt good with what they had.

Addison collected a career-high three sacks against the Buccaneers, who entered the game 18th in sacks allowed. After the game, he admitted to seeing the outside criticism but said it doesn’t affect him or his teammates.

Turns out, these guys aren’t too bothered by the opinions of people who have never been in their shoes.

“When people talk about our pass rush, this and that, it’s just talk,” Addison said. “Until they put on pads and line up and go against a motivated offensive lineman, then you tell me (how to rush the passer). We don’t care about none of that.”

The eighth-year pro had logged multiple sacks in seven of his 102 career games before Sunday but brought down Tampa Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick twice in a three-play span in the second quarter, and strip-sacked Fitzpatrick in the third.

Although Carolina’s pressure on Fitzpatrick softened during Tampa Bay’s 21-0 run in the second and third quarters, head coach Ron Rivera was still pleased with the team’s defensive line as a whole, especially the “explosive” Addison.

“We were very effective except for probably the end of the third quarter, into the fourth quarter. They were able to lock us up upfront,” Rivera said. “I thought our guys rushed well for the most part but we had a little bit of a lull, which got a little bit hairy there for a little bit.

“For the most part we were able to keep it in front of us, which was important.”

Production is often contagious and Addison’s play was no different. Fellow defensive end Julius Peppers swatted three of Fitzpatrick’s passes at the line of scrimmage and the Panthers’ secondary took advantage of his hurried throws, intercepting him twice.

His success was also a byproduct of Carolina’s defensive line’s as a whole. On his first sack of the day, he cleaned up when Fitzpatrick rolled out of the pocket away from Dontari Poe. Two plays later, he did the same when Eric Reid forced Fitzpatrick to scramble out of the pocket.

The strip-sack was all him, but Addison recognized his teammates’ effect on his game.

“I didn’t do it by myself, it’s a group job, man,” he said. “Everybody rushed and I was in position to get a sack. For me, it feels real good.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2018 at 8:38 PM.