Some losses are deserved.
The opportunities to turn a game on its head are there for the taking. The ‘opps are basically serving up a free win with the mistakes that they make.
Yet it doesn’t matter because a “L” is inevitable.
The Dallas Cowboys wrapped up the game in a bow at halftime to give to the Carolina Panthers in Week 15, but they wouldn’t take it. Instead, the Cowboys trampled the Panthers 30-14.
Here are more observations from Week 15
Abandoning The Run
Carolina rushed 12 times in the first half and had four in the second half. Granted, the protection wasn’t there Sunday, but four carries in a half is inexcusable and it speaks of a tendency to abandon the run when it’s not working early in a game. Dallas was able to capitalize. Cowboys Linebacker Micah Parsons says that Carolina ditching the run helped defensively.
“They felt like they had to put some points on the board, and I had to get water it and get away from the run because it wasn’t hitting early on,” Parsons said of the Panthers’ offense. “It allowed us to be able to get after the quarterback. That’s what complimentary football does. Without consistent drives, it puts pressure on them and they had to get away from their game plan.”
Struggle In The Trenches
To further solidify Parsons’ point regarding the run, the Panthers’ O-Line as a whole struggled Sunday. Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s angles and positioning were problematic for the Panthers. His scheme drew several false start penalities.
Panthers’ guard Robert Hunt says the unit was just plain outplayed.
“I don’t think they did anything crazy. They just got after us today. It wasn’t a great day for us,” he said. “ I think we played really sloppy. We’ve been beat pretty good this year , but also we weren’t healthy. I think this was one of the better teams we’ve had, and I just didn’t think we played up to that level.”
Bryce’s Bumbles
Bryce Young’s impressive 83 yard touchdown pass to TE Jalen Coker was marred by his four costly turnovers. He fumbled the ball twice and threw two interceptions. The fumble on the opening drive seemed to knock the offense out of rhythm and they never recovered from it. When asked about the fumbles postgame, Young said that he had no issues gripping the football.
There are not many unforced turnovers in football, and in this game, it all stemmed from the O-Line getting outplayed in the trenches. Young was pressured and sacked four times, and all of his blunders were forced.
Evero’s Marriage to His Scheme
Carolina allowed 211 rushing yards and safeties Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller were torched in the red zone.
The Panthers are running a 3-4 defense. The problem is that they do not have the personnel to run it effectively. There are holes at the EDGE. The more stretched the defense is, the easier it is to run the ball against it and through it.
With that being said, presumably, modification would be a thing but not for the Panthers. When asked about the rush defense, Panthers’ head coach said that its a matter of getting back to basics.
“(We) just got to go right off the film and just look at the fundamentals of the call and where people are supposed to be, getting guys down and keeping them from getting the extra yardage. We just got to return back to the basis and that’s really what we have.”
Earning A ‘L’: Observations from the Panthers’ Week 15 Loss vs Cowboys