Points Per Game...

[Peppers90 NC]

If we can find some consistency maybe we'll make something out of this season

i think we can beat anybody, but we could lose to anybody.

[teeray]

Carolina Panthers are the first team to start 2-3 and outscore opponents by 41+ points since 1921 Cleveland Indians.

Wow, 41 points is a lot in baseball

;)

[teeray]

This is why we play 16 games and not 5. We have a team that can win and make a playoff run, but we have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.

Also to this point we have only played two home games.

We have to take care of business at home and find two road wins out of our last 5.

Protect our home field we have a chance. Unfortunately we have put ourselves with a small margin for error with a difficult schedule ahead.

[hepcat]

Problem is, Carolina's offense looks great against terrible defenses, and awful against mediocre to great defenses.  Seattle (a great defense) completely shut the Panthers down, save one TD.  The Cardinals have slightly better than mediocre defense...and completely shut the Panthers down.  7 and 6 points total in each of those games.  The Bills game should have been a blowout win if the Panthers could have just put the ball in the endzone given great field position off two Bills turnovers.

[caatfan]

  Seattle (a great defense) completely shut the Panthers down, save one TD.  

That was a defensive game all around. They had 1 TD and 2 FGs, and to date are averaging 26+ pts/g. Only Houston is allowing fewer yds/g than the Pants and Hawks.

 

Bad coaching lost the Bills game and the offense shot itself in the foot against the Cards.

[CelibatePimp]

Our defense is yet to stop a decent QB. The the Vikes and Giants games skew the data. Still not sold.

[Salvo]

Our defense is yet to stop a decent QB. The the Vikes and Giants games skew the data. Still not sold.

 

While the Giants are bad, Eli did put up 450 on the Cowboys and 360 on Denver the weeks prior to facing us. We held him to 120. That's even a 100 yards less than the Chiefs were capable of hold him to.

 

Our D can compete. It's our offense I worry about.

[rayzor]

Problem is, Carolina's offense looks great against terrible defenses, and awful against mediocre to great defenses. 

 

part of that is the game management. we were playing it pretty safe against those defenses and weren't taking as many chances as we did against the giants and vikings.

 

i think/hope that we've found our identity and have realized that we need to be taking more risks and opening things up against everyone if we're going to have a chance... and that's including going for it on 4th and short.

 

we have had a different mindset in some games than we've had in others. some we play it safe and others it's balls to the wall. the balls to the wall is the only one that is proven by us to work so far. we don't take what the other team gives us, we give them what we want them to have. we dictate it all.

[CPcavedweller]

It's not that uncanny. They have greatly outscored two oponents in wins and played two others very close in losses. Its not a mystery how that came to be.

Because it hasn't happened since 1921, it is uncanny. Losing teams typically don't win by that wide of a margin and all things considered, I'm pleased. We've blown our two bad teams like a decent to great team WOULD do. Where between decent and great this team wants to be depends on the offense.

Rivera has stepped it up and is allowing the team to take more risks and it shows. I think we will be in the wildcard hunt but will remain on the bubble until we are eliminated.

[iamhubby1]

This is why we play 16 games and not 5. We have a team that can win and make a playoff run, but we have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.

Also to this point we have only played two home games.

We have to take care of business at home and find two road wins out of our last 5.

Protect our home field we have a chance. Unfortunately we have put ourselves with a small margin for error with a difficult schedule ahead.

This is my contention. When we limit the WTF? moments, we can be a good football team. I am hopeful that winning can cure our WTF? moments blues.

I agree with your assessment that taking care of bidness at home very well could propel us to the playoffs. We are good enough to steal a couple more road wins. Just keep winning. At home, or on the road, just keep winning.

 

 

While the Giants are bad, Eli did put up 450 on the Cowboys and 360 on Denver the weeks prior to facing us. We held him to 120. That's even a 100 yards less than the Chiefs were capable of hold him to.

 

Our D can compete. It's our offense I worry about.

To be honest, I don't see where folks get their worry over our Offense? We have pretty much been relentless all season long. We have moved the ball well against everyone so far. There have been some bumps in the road, but as a whole, this Offense has done a great job. They just can't seem to shake those pesky WTF? moments.

Drops, penalties, sacks, INTs, whatever...Something would happen to end a drive. Even more frustrating is the fact that the last 2 years, we were great in the Red Zone. This year...not so much. Just too damm many WTF? moments. When we limit those type plays, we are a good Offense.

To be a playoff contender. We have to limit the WTF? plays. Because if we can, this Defense can make sure we get there.

[Who Said What?]

lesson that should have been learned...whatever you did in the games vs. the giants and vikings, continue to do. what you did in the other three games, never do again.

 

if we want to win, we have to score a lot. don't count on being able to get by with just a few points. it's never enough. you NEVER have enough points, so don't act like it. the only safe situation is one in which you are beating the other team by 25+ points and you are late in the 4th quarter.

 

oh...and never take the foot off the gas. never tap the brake. when you have the ball, score. when you don't have the ball, attack. you do this regardless of the score on the board and time left on the clock.

 

The number one thing was the tempo.  We weren't Chip Kelly with the tempo yesterday, but that slow snail like pace we exhibited in the Buffalo and Arizona games was non-existent.  Everything seemed to be crisp, and that is all I have wanted from our offense was consistency for four quarters.  Me and my friends were like c'mon thirty more minutes of consistency at the half.

[KendrickPanther]

We lost three times of our own doing. It's fun to sit here and say "well we could have a better record", but we don't because we played poorly at key moments. Just like every other year. We aren't awful. We might win 7-8 games this year, hell we might win 9. But we will look back at all of our close losses like we do every year and wish we hadn't made those mistakes.

[Salvo]

To be honest, I don't see where folks get their worry over our Offense? We have pretty much been relentless all season long. We have moved the ball well against everyone so far. There have been some bumps in the road, but as a whole, this Offense has done a great job. They just can't seem to shake those pesky WTF? moments.

Drops, penalties, sacks, INTs, whatever...Something would happen to end a drive. Even more frustrating is the fact that the last 2 years, we were great in the Red Zone. This year...not so much. Just too damm many WTF? moments. When we limit those type plays, we are a good Offense.

To be a playoff contender. We have to limit the WTF? plays. Because if we can, this Defense can make sure we get there.

 

You pretty much laid out the problem I have with the offense. It's the inconsistency that drives me up a wall. I know they're capable of driving the ball up and down the field, but it's the stupid poo that makes me wonder sometimes.

 

At least we can go into a game knowing that there's a damn good chance our defense will play a good game. But I can't say the same for the offense. 

 

Don't get me wrong, we're close....but I need to see a little bit more before I'm fully comfortable. 

[iamhubby1]

part of that is the game management. we were playing it pretty safe against those defenses and weren't taking as many chances as we did against the giants and vikings.

 

i think/hope that we've found our identity and have realized that we need to be taking more risks and opening things up against everyone if we're going to have a chance... and that's including going for it on 4th and short.

 

we have had a different mindset in some games than we've had in others. some we play it safe and others it's balls to the wall. the balls to the wall is the only one that is proven by us to work so far. we don't take what the other team gives us, we give them what we want them to have. we dictate it all.

IMO, Shula is dialing it in nicely. Although I do think we have been pretty relentless all season, the last 3 weeks we have really taken it up a notch. If not for way too many WTF? moments against the Cards, this Offense has played well enough to be on a 3 game winning streak.

Just to recap.

Hawks- Olsen drops a TD pass, and DWill fumbles inside the 10. We lost.

Bills- 3 trips in the Red Zone, 3 FGs. We lost.

Cards- 6 trips into FG range. 6 points scored. We lost.

This Offense has proven it is capable of moving the ball. And when we stay away from those pesky WTF? moments, can be down right scary.

I am hoping that as we win more games, those pesky moments will diminish. I don't think this franchise will ever be WTF? free, but we do need to limit them to compete.

We are close to being a very good team. We are close to being what we all want us to be. If we can stop shooting ourselves in the foot, we have a real good shot at playing for a playoff spot. And I can live with that.

I still say the future is bright. As long as someone can cure us from those WTF? blues.