Four things we learned from the Carolina Panthers’ 36-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys
The Carolina Panthers (3-1) dropped their first game of the 2021 season, and it wasn’t pretty.
After leading in the first half 14-13, the Panthers allowed the Cowboys to score 23 unanswered points and take a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
It was a poor performance for a Carolina team hoping to show that it is a playoff contender.
But it wasn’t all bad.
The Panthers managed to make it a respectable game. They outscored the Cowboys 14-3 in the fourth quarter. And had they stopped the Cowboys on their final drive, they would have had a chance to tie the score.
“I saw a lot of guys that were pissed off, but in a good way,” Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold said. “They were eager to go watch the tape and get better from this. We got a bunch of good guys in that locker room. Resilient guys.
“You can either put your head down and sulk, or you can watch the tape, get better from it, continue to practice hard and practice well this whole next week getting ready for Philly.”
Here is what we learned from Sunday’s game:
1. Offensive line is a problem
The biggest question heading into the 2021 season was how the Panthers’ offensive line would fare. Through three games this season, the offensive line wasn’t good. While Darnold hadn’t been sacked much, he had been pressured.
Entering Sunday’s game, the Cowboys had only four sacks.
Against the Panthers, they had five. In addition to those five sacks, the Panthers also allowed 11 quarterback hurries. Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory was a menace. He had two sacks and four hurries.
Both Matt Paradis and Cameron Erving allowed at least one sack each. The offensive line also committed three penalties — two holding calls and a face-mask penalty.
Darnold was under duress for much of Sunday’s game. On one of his two interceptions, he forced a pass to Robby Anderson in the third quarter after being under pressure.
“Anytime Sam has time, he’s going to make a lot of really good decisions. When he doesn’t have a lot of time, it’s not quite as good,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said. “Dak (Prescott) had a lot of time today, and Sam didn’t.”
2. Sam Darnold made some bad decisions
Darnold threw two interceptions on Sunday, which was more than what he had thrown through the first three games.
And both interceptions were throws he should not have made. Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs was the recipient of both.
Darnold’s first interception happened on the second drive of the third quarter. He had pressure around him and threw a pass behind Robby Anderson. Diggs peeled off his receiver and was in the right place at the right time.
Darnold’s second interception happened one drive later. DJ Moore was running a 10-yard comeback route when Diggs made a good break on the ball, stepping in front of Moore for the pick.
What’s important for Darnold is that he remains calm under pressure and not force throws. That’s one thing he said he learned from Sunday’s game. That’s what got him in trouble with the Jets.
It’s also important the offensive line protect him and keep him from making those bad decisions.
Having said all of that, Darnold wasn’t all that bad. He had four total touchdowns (two passing, two rushing), and he did this without his best player in Christian McCaffrey and a poor performance from the offensive line.
3. Success for the Panthers defense is dependent on stopping the run
The Panthers hadn’t given up more than 45 rushing yards in any of the first three games. As a result, they’ve been able to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
But they allowed 245 yards rushing against the Cowboys. Yes, 245. Running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard had too many open holes. They finished with 143 and 67 yards, respectively.
Prescott added 35 yards rushing.
When you can’t stop the run, that makes it easier to pass the ball. And Prescott wasn’t touched. He wasn’t sacked once.
When asked what contributed to the Panthers’ struggling in the run game, Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn said, “Communication.”
“There are a lot of things that factor into that,” he added. “Tackling. That is one of the things we need to get better at. We will.”
4. Rhule OK with Zane Gonzalez despite misses
It’s been a whirlwind and a revolving door for Panthers’ kickers this season. Although Gonzalez has probably been the best of the Panthers’ three kickers, he hasn’t been great.
He missed a 54-yard field goal Sunday — his second of the season.
Rhule has punted in previous situations like that. But he said he wanted to give Gonzalez a chance to make the kick.
Rhule didn’t blame Gonzalez for the missed kick, though. He said it may have been tipped.
“If we want to go be a big-time football team, we’re going to have to kick field goals from the 35-, 36-, and Zane can do that,” Rhule said.
Gonzalez is now 3-of-5 on the field-goal attempts in three games. He also has missed an extra point.
However, when asked was he OK with how Gonzalez has performed, Rhule said he was.
“Yeah, especially if it got tipped,” he said. “I think some of our kickoff woes, he kicked the ball out of the end zone today. That was a major step in the right direction. I don’t know if I can point to anybody today and say this guy was great.
“Start with me. I have to be better. We all have to be better.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
