We gave up 571 yards to the Minnesota Vikings

[Riverboat Ron]

13 hours ago, joemac said:

Without Horn we cannot play bump and run man to man, and without Horn we cannot hold team long enough for our pass rush to get home. Maybe Gilmore helps with that next week. 

I think you’ll see a completely different team this week. Everything this defense hinges on is that tight man to man coverage.

[joemac]

16 minutes ago, Shocker said:

Honestly Cousins played a very good game yesterday.  The TD throw to win it was perfect.  Minnesota might be the best team we have played.

Yeah, my real point was that its usually one or the other - either you get killed in the air, or gashed on the ground.  We got it from both ends yesterday. I've always thought that Cousins was a criminally underrated QB though.  Id take him on my team all day. 

[hepcat]

13 hours ago, Fox007 said:

I wonder how harmful that 3-0 start really was...maybe had the coaching thinking some poo they had no business thinking.

it wasn't damaging, it just gave the entire team and coaching staff a false sense of confidence. When Fitterer stood up on the podium and said the Panthers expect to make the playoffs after trading for Stephon Gilmore, I knew we were f*cking doomed. 

[joemac]

16 minutes ago, Riverboat Ron said:

I think you’ll see a completely different team this week. Everything this defense hinges on is that tight man to man coverage.

Yup, thats what I'm hoping for as well....although who knows how much of an impact Gilmore will really have his first game back in like a year.  Throwing him out there full blast for an entire game is how you get an injured hammy, or reinjure a quad. 

[CPcavedweller]

This is Year 2 of a complete rebuild. We are a .500 team with a .250 offense and a .750 defense. Darnold is fine, actually reminds me a bit of Aaron Rodgers in a way (before you flame me, realize that at this same point in his career, Rodgers was still on the bench). 

Dropped passes, turnovers, receivers not beating their guys, play calling, offensive line personnel, etc.

I mean, who calls a damn tight end sweep on the goal line? Seriously? 

The defense is fine, but when they are continuously 0ut in bad positions this is what happens. When your offense can't sustain drives this is what happens. Physical teams with a running game will eventually break everything wide open.

Fact is that if the Vikings had an elite QB, they would be 6-0. That team has the most Jekyll and Hyde offense in all of football and it all revolves around Kirk Cousins. They go as he goes. If they are running rhe ball effectively and Cousins is dropping dimes, this is what happens. Minnesota has the talent to be a contender in the NFC but, as with Cousins, when he goes cold they go cold.

In the grand scheme of things, it's one game. The Panthers are a young team and had an opportunity to win this game on offense but got into a 28-17 hole.

One very big factor no one here mentions, we have a massive hole in the middle of the defense. Every since Luke left we have had an absolutely gaping hole in the middle and that has become the Achilles heel of this defense. Shaq isn't a great replacement for Luke but there is noticeable drop off with him off the field, period.

Edited October 18, 2021 by CPcavedweller

[joemac]

8 minutes ago, CPcavedweller said:

This is Year 2 of a complete rebuild. We are a .500 team with a .250 offense and a .750 defense. Darnold is fine, actually reminds me a bit of Aaron Rodgers in a way (before you flame me, realize that at this same point in his career, Rodgers was still on the bench). 

Dropped passes, turnovers, receivers not beating their guys, play calling, offensive line personnel, etc.

I mean, who calls a damn tight end sweep on the goal line? Seriously? 

The defense is fine, but when they are continuously 0ut in bad positions this is what happens. When your offense can't sustain drives this is what happens. Physical teams with a running game will eventually break everything wide open.

Fact is that if the Vikings had an elite QB, they would be 6-0. That team has the most Jekyll and Hyde offense in all of football and it all revolves around Kirk Cousins. They go as he goes. If they are running rhe ball effectively and Cousins is dropping dimes, this is what happens. Minnesota has the talent to be a contender in the NFC but, as with Cousins, when he goes cold they go cold.

In the grand scheme of things, it's one game. The Panthers are a young team and had an opportunity to win this game on offense but got into a 28-17 hole.

One very big factor no one here mentions, we have a massive hole in the middle of the defense. Every since Luke left we have had an absolutely gaping hole in the middle and that has become the Achilles heel of this defense. Shaq isn't a great replacement for Luke but there is noticeable drop off with him off the field, period.

Yeah, I hear you....but its not one game.  Its 3 games in a row now that our D has gotten killed.  Absolutely zero pressure on the QB.  Getting killed in the air AND on the ground at the same time, which is pretty hard to do.  Dallas showed the league how to kill our D, and every team we've played since then has done it, and we have no answer for it.  Yes we are very banged up at key positions, but so are most other teams at this point in the season.  We just have very little depth. 

[CPcavedweller]

4 minutes ago, joemac said:

Yeah, I hear you....but its not one game.  Its 3 games in a row now that our D has gotten killed.  Absolutely zero pressure on the QB.  Getting killed in the air AND on the ground at the same time, which is pretty hard to do.  Dallas showed the league how to kill our D, and every team we've played since then has done it, and we have no answer for it.  Yes we are very banged up at key positions, but so are most other teams at this point in the season.  We just have very little depth. 

Your last sentence is the thesis of my comment. We are in year 2 of a rebuild from ruins, basically. We have holes as most teams do in year 2 of a rebuild. I figured we would be a 4 year rebuild at best, Tepper gave Coach a 7-year contract telling me he thought it may be 5 years of rebuild and 2 to compete and figure out if Rhule is the guy. 

You're talking about 3 games of a 50 game stretch. One very common theme is that no one can replace CMC on offense and the staff has done NOTHING to address the most important position on defense, the Mike. The quarterback of the defense has been neglected since Luke left and it shows up each week. 

Am I disappointed in losses? Yes. But I'm also very encouraged by the fact we took what will probably be a playoff team in Minnesota to the brink on a 98-yard regulation ending drive with two MASSIVE fourth down conversations despite wide receivers dropping passes all day.

Why am I encouraged? That drive shows me that the Panthers have the right guy at quarterback. That is the cornerstone that you build around and we have it. Now who is going to step up as a leader in the middle of the defense? 

[countryboi]

fug what the number say the Defense did their job, the offense put them on the field over and over again and they did a decent job against a very good offense in a piss poor situation. 

[joemac]

22 minutes ago, countryboi said:

fug what the number say the Defense did their job, the offense put them on the field over and over again and they did a decent job against a very good offense in a piss poor situation. 

In what world did the defense do a good job yesterday?  They got sliced and diced from jump.  I think they hit Cousins one time all day, and they had WRs running wide open all damn game.  Not to mention their RB running up and down the field all day as well. 

[glenwo2]

29 minutes ago, countryboi said:

fug what the number say the Defense did their job, the offense put them on the field over and over again and they did a decent job against a very good offense in a piss poor situation. 

198 Rushing Yards

370+ Passing Yards

You can kick and scream all you like but as the old saying goes :

The Numbers Do Not Lie.     

 

Yes, the offense should have been better but here's the issue :

This Defense was supposed to be a World-Beater after 3 games...

...and they had long since been exposed ever since the Dallas game.

 

Sorry, man, but that's the way it is.

Edited October 18, 2021 by glenwo2

[Fox007]

1 minute ago, joemac said:

In what world did the defense do a good job yesterday?  They got sliced and diced from jump.  I think they hit Cousins one time all day, and they had WRs running wide open all damn game.  Not to mention their RB running up and down the field all day as well. 

Na man fug what actually happened its about living in my feelings!

fug what the numbers say Sam Darnold played like Joe Montana yesterday because I wants it!

[Shocker]

Strange enough but that blocked kick TD actually totally gassed our defense.  They were on the field way to long yesterday 

[ChibCU]

2 minutes ago, Shocker said:

Strange enough but that blocked kick TD actually totally gassed our defense.  They were on the field way to long yesterday 

Two ways to change that:

1) Getting defensive stops

2) Sustaining offensive drives

Defense can also help themselves.

[Peppers90 NC]

No more pass rush, 2 sacks in last 3 games is it?