The Panthers had a chance to take down one of the NFC’s top contenders on Sunday, but they came up just a little short after a fourth quarter rally.
As expected, the loss to the Packers hurt their position in Touchdown Wire’s power rankings. Last week, they came in at No. 7 on Doug Farrar’s list. This week, they’ve dropped down to No. 10. If you’re looking for a culprit, the run defense is the reason.
“Carolina is tied with Cincinnati in allowing a league-worst 5.2 yards per carry, and it’s never good to be tied with the NFL’s worst overall defense. . . The Panthers will try to fix this issue against the Falcons and their 3.8 yards-per-carry average next week. Long term, this is the kind of thing that could upend everything else as the Panthers try to contend for the postseason.”
Indeed.
Yesterday, coach Ron Rivera told reporters that there’s no magic fix for the team’s issues defending the runs. That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that Rivera is doing enough to help. Schematic changes may be needed to give his front seven more chances to make stops.
