Another pivotal game.
Another opportunity blown.
The Carolina Panthers were playing with house money. They came into Week 15 with momentum and an opportunity to take control of the NFC South, only for them to come up short and lose an opportunity to gain the division lead and sneak into the playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Steelers rolled into the ‘Bank and robbed it-pulling a Panthers on the Panthers and winning 24-16. Here are some observations.
Living On The Edge
The Steelers outrushed the Panthers 156-21 and a bulk of those yards came from Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren attacking the edges of the Panthers’ defense. In Pittsburgh’s opening drive, for example, Safety Jeremy Chinn let Harris bump off of him instead of getting the tackle. The Steelers kept attacking the edges in the early drives of the game until they were able to shoot up the gaps.
Bullies Getting Bullied
The Steelers O-Line lead by Chukwuma Okorafor were killing the Panthers’ front seven in the trenches. Carolina is a team that is predicated on heavy pressure and blitzes. The Steelers neutralized the front seven and contained Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu for most of the game. To Carolina’s credit, the defense tightened up in the second half and they showed heart, but for the most part, the damage was already done.
The difference between the Steelers and the other teams the Panthers have faced recently is that the Steelers mirror them-a rugged team predicated on the run. The Steelers matched the Panthers’ physicality and walked away with the win.
Third Down Woes
It was bad enough that the defense struggled against Pittsburgh’s offensive line. What made matters worse is that Carolina’s defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed on third down. For whatever reason in seasons past, the Panthers either had issues converting on third down or struggling to get stops. The Steelers converted at a 75 percent clip. There were drives that had no business being alive, but the Panthers couldn’t seem to hold it down on third. Offensively, the Panthers could only convert their third down attempts at 36 percent. It doesn’t matter if it’s this season, last season, or the season before last, Carolina seems to struggle on third down. This is something that they must clean up in the future, because it’s costing them too many games.
In Defense of Darnold
After the game, interim head coach Steve Wilks was non-committal in letting Sam Darnold start against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve. He said that everyone will be evaluated. Constant evaluation is the norm for Wilks. On the other hand, naming the starting quarterback is also the norm.
Against Pittsburgh, Darnold completed 14 of his 23 passes for 225 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. This was his best performance statistically and he wasn’t the reason why the Panthers lost. The loss was on the defense losing the battle of the trenches. The loss was on the inability to run and even forcing the issue at times. The only issue Darnold had during this game was staying in a collapsing pocket longer than he should have, which is fixable. Between now and Saturday, the proper adjustments will be made. For the sake of continuity, the Panthers should start Darnold until they can no longer.