[ad_1]
CHARLOTTE – At times this season the Panthers have flirted with disaster, but mostly avoided it.
Sunday, all the small calamities caught up with them at once, and turned into a big one.
After leaving the door open with a familiar unease in the third quarter, the Panthers lost 21-18 to the Eagles at Bank of America Stadium.
They were leading 15-3 at halftime and had frankly dominated the Eagles, limiting them to just 88 offensive yards in the first half.
But they let them hang around long enough, and it cost them.
Strategist Sam darnold wasn’t great, and his inner protection was just as bad or worse.
Darnold threw three interceptions, the worst start to his young Panthers career.
He was also sacked three times and beaten eight times. Most of that pressure came in the middle, with the Eagles being able to collapse the part of the Panthers’ line that hasn’t changed.
With Taylor moton pass to left tackle and rookie Brady christensen from the right tackle, the problems were between them. The Eagles continually pushed the pocket, and the Panthers didn’t handle it well.
This marred a largely effective defensive performance, with Donte Jackson force a fumble and intercept a pass.
Instead of providing a spark in the third trimester, it was wasted.
– The Panthers should not postpone the third quarter. They should postpone the third quarter. Until next March or something like that.
The Panthers’ familiar post-halftime struggles were once again a problem as they failed to capitalize on a few Eagles turnovers and clung to a two-point lead after dominating most of the game.
The Panthers gained just 59 yards and failed to convert a third during the dreaded period, allowing the Eagles to close the lead to 15-13.
– The special teams problems came at a difficult time, but they had not been that costly.
A stuck punt in the fourth quarter gave the Eagles the opening to take the lead.
With the way the Panthers played offensively, they had no room for error for errors in the kicking game.
– The Panthers would obviously prefer to have Christian mccaffrey. Corn Chuba hubbard did his part to replace their star.
McCaffrey was inactive due to his hamstring strain, and Hubbard responded with a McCaffrey-style day.
Hubbard finished with 101 rushing yards and another 33 on five catches.
Despite all the troubles the Panthers faced, McCaffrey’s absence wasn’t near the top of Sunday’s list.
[ad_2]
Source link