Five things we learned about the Carolina Panthers in their 26-7 win over the Saints
The Carolina Panthers are 2-0 heading into Week 3, and like the 2017, 2015, 2014, 2008, 2003 and 1996 teams that also started 2-0, that typically bodes well for them.
In each of those seasons, the Panthers made the playoffs. The only time they’ve started 2-0 and did not make the playoffs was in 2002.
While it’s still too early to tell whether the Panthers will make the playoffs this year, their 26-7 win over the Saints Sunday, who beat the Packers 38-3 in Week 1, suggests they have the makings of a playoff team.
Here are five things we learned from Sunday’s win:
1. The Panthers defense can carry this team
The Panthers dominated the time of possession battle on Sunday by more than 16 minutes, and that was in large part because of how well the defense played.
They forced seven three-and-outs, got the Saints into multiple third-and-long situations by stopping the run. They also sacked Saints quarterback Jameis Winston four times, and forced two turnovers.
Because of that, the offense was able to spend more time on the field and often had good field position. In the first half, they took advantage of it.
They led 17-0 at halftime. The Panthers held the Saints to 159 total yards, which is a remarkable feat against a Sean Payton-coached team, even without Drew Brees.
During the times Brees did miss time last year, and in 2019, the Saints still found a way to score points and move the ball down field. Remember Teddy Bridgewater had one of his best seasons in 2019 when he replaced the injured Brees.
The only reason the Saints scored was because Sam Darnold turned it over in Carolina’s territory, gifting the Saints prime field position.
If the Panthers’ defense can be consistent, they can be a dangerous team.
2. Zane Gonzalez doesn’t appear to be the answer yet
A week after parting ways with kicker Ryan Santoso, the Panthers are still having kicking issues.
Gonzalez, who arrived in Carolina last week, missed an extra point attempt wide left Sunday, something that has become common for Panthers kickers. He did make two field goal attempts, but also had one blocked in the third quarter.
Rhule put most of the blame on the blocking. He said there was too much pressure in Gonzalez’s face.
“I thought all day our field goal protection wasn’t very good,” Rhule said. “They were swimming us (referencing a block evasion technique). I called timeout to bring them over to say ‘hey, listen, they are swimming you. Everyone get your heads up.’ It looked like the kick might have been low just from the field level but I have to go watch the tape.”
Gonzalez also had six kickoffs and no touchbacks, which allowed New Orleans’ to return kicks.
It was only one game, but it didn’t look good.
3. Offensive line dealing with injuries
Left guard Pat Elflein went out with a hamstring strain in the first half and did not return.
Rhule said it was not a re-aggrevation of a hip injury he was dealing with earlier in the week that limited him in practice. It’s unclear whether Elflein would be available for Thursday’s game against the Texans on a short week.
Backup Dennis Daley also suffered a minor injury and had to come out. Both Daley and Elflein struggled as starters in Week 1, but they are currently the Panthers best options at the position.
The Panthers did play rookie Brady Christensen when Daley went out.
The Panthers’ offensive line played fairly well on Sunday. They allowed two sacks but only four pressures.
4. Sluggish starts to second half
Aside from the Panthers’ kicking woes that have continued, the Panthers continue to struggle in the second half.
Last week against the Jets, the Panthers scored only three points in the second half. This week, they scored nine points, after taking a 17-0 lead into halftime.
The Panthers have got to keep their foot on the pedal in the second half, as some teams will have the offensive fire power to make comebacks.
The Saints did not.
Sam Darnold was a little less accurate in the second half than he was the first. He also threw an interception, which the Saints eventually turned into points.
“I think you just have to come out faster,” Darnold said. “It starts with a mindset. Coming out, out of the half and understanding, ok our defense is going to get a three-and-out, we’re going to get the ball and go right down the field and score. It’s having that mind set.”
Christian McCaffrey briefly came out of the game and went to the locker room with cramps, which also slowed their progress.
The slow starts are something the Panthers will have to figure out.
5. Too many early timeouts
When Ron Rivera was the head coach of the Panthers, it was common to see timeouts called in non-clock stopping situations. Sunday under Rhule, that was still an issue.
The Panthers called all three of their timeouts in the first half before the four-minute mark. And during the final few seconds of the first half, as they tried to put three points on the board, they didn’t have a timeout to stop the clock as time expired.
Rhule was frustrated about it, and put it on the coaching staff.
“Too many coaching errors in the first half,” he said. “You know, having to call time out because we have the wrong call in or one of our players gets confused. We have to clean a lot of things up as a coaching staff first.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Five things we learned about the Carolina Panthers in their 26-7 win over the Saints."
