Panthers Tracks: What Carolina should be worried about most against the Cardinals
The Carolina Panthers won the turnover battle 4-0 last week against the Los Angeles Chargers. But when time expired, the scoreboard read 21-16.
The Panthers won by one possession, and they could have lost had it not been for a botched lateral on the Chargers’ final play.
So how could the Panthers win by only five points in game they should have dominated?
Look no further than their red-zone touchdown percentage. The Panthers reached the red zone six times last week — three times because of turnovers — and only scored one touchdown. They kicked five field goals inside the 25-yard line.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule said the issues stemmed from failing to convert on third down. The Panthers were 2 of 10 on third-down conversions.
“We haven’t gotten the quick strike scores that we like, the explosive plays ... so we’ve kind of had to matriculate the ball down the field,” Rhule said Wednesday. “I think it all goes back to continuing to build upon and sustain the run game. I think when you’re able to run the football, you make the other team play a certain way and then it potentially opens you up for more one-on-one opportunities.”
Part of the Panthers’ struggles in the run game can directly be attributed to Christian McCaffrey being out. When he’s on the field, he’s the biggest threat to score. Mike Davis, who is filling in for McCaffrey, was decent last week. He had a touchdown catch and 91 yards from scrimmage.
But for this team to win, a team that relied heavily on McCaffrey to produce in the run game, he’ll have to be twice as good as he was running it. Davis had 46 yards rushing on 13 carries last week.
The Panthers were 2 of 3 in red-zone touchdown opportunities in Week 1. And 2 of 4 in Week 2. For the season, the Panthers have scored a touchdown on 38% of their trips to the red zone, which is 30th out of 32 teams, and 20% lower than their percentage in 2019, according to Team Rankings.
“We’ve just got to continue to put those drives together to punch touchdowns in the red zones, because that’s what’s going to win football games,” Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady said Thursday.
Brady is right.
The Panthers can’t expect to have a 4-0 turnover advantage every week. So scoring when the opportunity presents itself will be critical to giving the Panthers a better chance to win.
In 2015, the Panthers’ defense, behind Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Josh Norman, was known for creating turnovers, which oftentimes gave the offense great field position.
But in 2015 the offense took advantage of those opportunities. The Panthers scored a touchdown on 69% of their red-zone trips, which led the league.
As a result, they finished the regular season 15-1 and advanced to the Super Bowl before losing to the Denver Broncos.
This team likely won’t be in the Super Bowl. There are too many holes and a lot of growing and cohesion that must happen.
But for this team to flourish, touchdowns over field goals in the red zone will be key.
— Jonathan M. Alexander
Injury notes
▪ Rookie defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos missed Thursday’s practice with an undisclosed illness. Rhule said it was not COVID-19 related.
▪ LG Dennis Daley (ankle), LB Jeremy Chinn (hip), LT Russell Okung (groin), LB Adarius Taylor (hip) were all limited Thursday.
▪ DT Kawann Short (foot) and CB Donte Jackson (toe) were full participants.
Required reading
+ A motivational video kept Mike Davis ready for his moment with Christian McCaffrey hurt
+ Panthers rookie DT Derrick Brown’s fiancée gives birth to couple’s second child
+ 3 things I liked in Panthers’ win over Chargers, including Joey Slye’s ‘angry’ tackle
+ Panthers WR Keith Kirkwood, CB Eli Apple return to practice and injury updates
+ Inside the team meeting that helped a disconnected Panthers team finally come together
+ Mailbag: How can the Carolina Panthers put DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel in position to succeed?
+ Panthers try to keep players, fans safe from COVID-19 with ‘coronavirus-killing’ robot
+ Panthers win fueled by Mike Davis’ memory of his dad. ‘I’m trying not to tear up, man’
+ Most important things we learned about the Panthers in their win over the LA Chargers
+ Panthers found joy with Matt Rhule on Sunday. Will win over Chargers be first of many?
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
