The Carolina Panthers’ worst football habits have become deeply ingrained and there seems no end in sight to this losing streak, which is now at six games after another home loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Here are a few takeaways from a frustrating 30-24 loss for Carolina.
The Panthers offense was a one-man show
We saw a lot of familiar themes for the Panthers, today. One of a handful of positives was the effort of running back Christian McCaffrey, who has become the most consistent performer on the team from week to week. McCaffrey punished Seattle’s defense again, showing his prowess as a rusher and as a receiver. He posted 175 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns. It’s a shame they couldn’t build a better team around him this year.
Kyle Allen is getting worse
Last week we said backup QB Kyle Allen is not getting any better. A more accurate way to phrase it may be that he’s actually getting worse as the season goes on. Allen keeps making the same mistakes over and over. From lowering his eyes and running into sacks, to missing open receivers deep, to throwing unforced interceptions, it was the same awful tape we’ve seen from Allen all season. Whatever confidence or moxie he had early in the year is gone. He finished the game 25/41 for 277 yards, one touchdown and three picks.
Donte Jackson continues to struggle
Another track that seems to be stuck on repeat is the struggles of second-year cornerback Donte Jackson in coverage. He was beat over the top by Tyler Lockett, D.J. Metcalf and Josh Gordon at different points of the contest. Safeties Eric Reid and Tre Boston have to do more to cover for Jackson because he seems incapable of staying with almost any respectable wide receiver one-on-one these days. Interim head coach Perry Fewell either needs to make more schematic adjustments to help Jackson out or he should consider putting him on the bench.
