The Struggle Continues
The 2019 Carolina Panthers can’t seem to escape the dark cloud that has hovered over them for the last several weeks. The Panthers lost their second matchup against the Atlanta Falcons 40-20 in Atlanta.
With Sunday’s loss, the Panthers have now lost 7 of their last 8. In 3 of the last 4 weeks the Panthers were outscored 98-44. Those three opponents: 2-win Falcons, 2-win Redskins, 3-win Falcons.
Turnovers and defensive struggles continue to be the culprit of the Panthers’ woes. On a promising drive late in the second quarter, Kyle Allen threw a perfect ball to Ian Thomas. Thomas couldn’t corral it and instead bobbled and tipped it into the hands of Falcons’ safety Damontae Kazee. To open the second half, left tackle Dennis Daley missed a block and defensive end Vic Beasley had a huge blindside hit on Allen, thus forcing a fumble. Allen fumbled for a third time in the third quarter and newly-active kick returner Greg Dortch fumbled on a kick off return.
Entering Sunday’s game, the Panthers ranked dead last in the league in turnover differential since Week 7 (-8). After their four turnovers against Atlanta, the margin has grown to 12 (17 turnovers, 5 takeaways).
I don’t intend to add insult to injury, but before today’s game Atlanta was tied for 30th in the league in takeaways. The Falcons also recorded 5 sacks. They entered the game second to last in the league in sacks.
After the firing of Ron Rivera earlier this week, Perry Fewell took the reigns as Interim Head Coach. He is 0-1.
Is it time for Will Grier?
Before the season started I said I didn’t want to see Will Grier play a snap. He should stay on the sideline and learn from a dynamic quarterback like Cam Newton. Cam goes down and Allen comes in and leads the Panthers on a 4-win streak. Now Allen continues to struggle week after week. With a defense that is failing to get stops, you need an offense that can put up points. After today’s game, it looks like an offense led by Kyle Allen is unable to do that.
With three games left into the season a decision has to be made. Should the Panthers start Will Grier?
The Panthers are 5-8 and there is no hope for a playoff spot. With Cam Newton injured and a head coach fired, the Panthers should be seeing what kind of talent they have on the roster. Last year, Carolina drafted Will Grier, QB from West Virginia with the 100th pick in the third round. That’s a little early for a quarterback, especially when you have Cam Newton as your starter. I assumed with Cam’s contract ending after 2020, the Panthers would start looking at future options. I wasn’t impressed with Will Grier in the preseason, but if the Panthers wanted to see what he is capable of, isn’t this a perfect time to play him? A lot of changes are coming this offseason both with the coaching staff and on the depth chart. Before the Panthers start making changes, they should allow some players to showcase what they have before the season ends. Essentially, I’m saying the Panthers should treat this as the preseason. Compete to win, but change up the roster a little and see what sticks. I don’t think it can hurt this team anymore than it already is.
Next Game:
Sunday, Dec. 15 at home vs. Seattle. The Panthers are 3-4 at home this season.
