Why aren’t more plays being made? What we learned from another Panthers loss
Carolina Panthers players remain supportive of head coach Matt Rhule.
Players ignore Rhule’s career 11-27 record as an NFL head coach when asked about it. They focus instead on this season, where Carolina is 1-4 overall after losing 37-15 Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers.
As team captains Baker Mayfield, Christian McCaffrey, Brian Burns and Donte Jackson publicly endorse Rhule and his coaching staff, they are critical of players’ execution.
“I’m pissed that we can’t get it done for him and for the rest of our staff,” McCaffrey said. “As a leader on the team, I put it on me. It’s on the players. Players win games. Players lose games, too. We got to make the plays. I gotta be better.”
McCaffrey, who routinely avoids making controversial statements, went to bat for Rhule and his staff after Sunday’s game. So did Mayfield, Burns and Jackson, blaming themselves for the team’s continued shortcomings.
“We know what kind of ball is being coached,” Jackson said, “and it’s not losing ball. We’ve got to be better as players.”
Let’s take the players’ word for it that they need to perform better. Would better execution Sunday have won the Panthers its second game of the season?
On the Panthers’ opening drive, receiver DJ Moore dropped a one-on-one fade pass down the right sideline. The pass came on a second-and-one play that followed a nine-yard McCaffrey run. A completion would’ve pushed Carolina to midfield, but Moore could not complete the catch against the 49ers’ Charvarius Ward.
Two plays later, Carolina punted after McCaffrey was stuffed for no gain on a third-and-one run.
In the third quarter, Robbie Anderson dropped a one-on-one fade pass in the end zone. Mayfield put the ball where only Anderson could catch it, but he could not complete the play against Ward. Mayfield was sacked on the next play while facing a third-and-10.
Kicker Eddie Pineiro then made a 37-yard field goal to pull Carolina within 12 with 3:44 left in the third quarter.
Two drops from the Panthers’ top two wide receivers cost Carolina at least seven points.
Then, before halftime, Mayfield cost the Panthers another seven points by throwing a pick-six to cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.
“I double-clutched the ball. And then when I released it, I don’t think my feet were under me. I think the ball sailed on me a little bit,” Mayfield said. “It’s a game of inches. That was probably about six inches too high for (McCaffrey) not to be able to really touch it or deflect it. Obviously, it’s better to have a completion, because (McCaffrey) is open right there.”
It was an abysmal throw from Mayfield, who has thrown an interception in consecutive games. He left Bank of America Stadium in a walking boot after hurting his left ankle before halftime.
In the first quarter, Pineiro missed his first field goal of the season when he hooked a 41-yard try. The 49ers traveled just 38 yards and scored three points eight plays later via a 49-yard Robbie Gould field goal. That sequence itself was a six-point swing.
In the second half, cornerback CJ Henderson missed a tackle and was flagged for pass interference, and both led to two 49ers touchdowns. The interference call came on a fourth-and-seven from midfield. The Panthers blitzed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who threw an incomplete pass to receiver Deebo Samuel, but Henderson made contact with Samuel too early and drew the flag.
Samuel scored on a four-yard touchdown reception four plays later.
On the next series, Henderson missed a tackle on receiver Jauan Jennings. The jumbo slot receiver converted a simple five-yard out route into a 13-yard gain. Had Henderson defended the sticks, the 49ers likely would’ve been forced to attempt a fourth-and-medium play considering its kicker was unavailable due to injury.
Playing without safeties Jeremy Chinn and Xavier Woods cost the Panthers. In the first quarter, both Tevin Coleman and George Kittle made spectacular one-on-one catches for San Francisco against man coverage, which both led to points.
Coaches and players share a responsibility to cultivate the best out of each other. If key Panthers players are unable to make game-changing plays, then either the scheme is not favorable to their talents or Carolina’s roster is not as explosive as originally thought.
A few plays decided the Panthers-49ers game, but Carolina keeps finding itself on the wrong side of most 50-50 chances.
Injuries are starting to pile up
Mayfield hurt his left ankle on the final drive before halftime following his pick-six.
“A little painful right now, not real sure what it exactly is. Gonna examine that (Monday) and find out,” Mayfield said. “Right now, just managing the pain. Preventative stuff (being) in the boot.”
Mayfield is a career ironman who has only missed two starts due to injury. If he is unable to play, then backup quarterback PJ Walker would be in line to start this week against the Rams. Sam Darnold is eligible to return from injured reserve, but the team said he is still a few weeks away from practicing.
Carolina played against the 49ers without Chinn, Woods and linebacker Frankie Luvu. Rhule said he was surprised Woods and Luvu could not play.
“I woke up thinking they were going to probably play,” Rhule said. “But we worked them out, They weren’t good to go. It’s a long season. We don’t want guys hurting themselves.”
Without Luvu, linebacker Cory Littleton played all 67 defensive snaps. Safety Myles Hartsfield also played every snap.
The team was without playmaker Laviska Shenault. He was declared out on Friday with a hamstring injury. His 67-yard touchdown catch helped Carolina win its lone game of the season in Week 2.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn left Sunday’s game with a hip injury and did not return. His status will gain more clarity by Wednesday.
The Panthers are losing key starters to injury at a time when the team needs its playmakers to execute more effectively.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Why aren’t more plays being made? What we learned from another Panthers loss."
