This Sunday wasn’t nearly as fun as the last one for the Carolina Panthers. But that doesn’t mean the afternoon was a total loss.
Here are three takeaways from Week 4’s 34-24 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals:
Ground game continues to gain traction
Head coach Dave Canales, months before actually leading the sidelines for Carolina, professed his intent to establish the run. So he should be a happy man when he looks at his running game in the film room tomorrow.
The Panthers put together another productive day on the ground, an effort that resulted in 155 yards and a touchdown on 29 attempts. Running back Chuba Hubbard led the way once again, rushing for 104 yards (his second straight 100-yard game) and the score.
Backup Miles Sanders looked dangerous, too. After averaging just 3.1 yards per carry in the first three outings of the campaign, Sanders bounced around for 32 yards on six takes (5.3 yards per carry).
Despite the loss, which was even missing the road-grading left guard Damien Lewis, the Carolina offense seems to be getting closer to assuming an actual identity.
Defense raises more concerns
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the opposing ground game didn’t treat them too well.
The Bengals bopped about for 141 yards and two scores on 31 carries. A decent amount of that production can be attributed to the, uh, less-than-stellar fundamentals from the Carolina defense—which struggled to wrap up.
A lack of consistent tackling also gave way to the biggest play of the game, a long touchdown connection in the second quarter between quarterback Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. What should have been about a 15-yard gain became a 63-yard touchdown thanks to a handful of missed tackles.
To add injury to insult, the unit lost two more of their leaders in inside linebackers Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell. The severity of their injuries are yet to be announced, but a Derrick Brown-less defense really can’t afford any more notable absences.
Are the Panthers getting there?
Even in defeat, the Panthers picked up a few minor “wins.”
Along with a strong running game, Carolina’s passing attack kept the contest interesting. Quarterback Andy Dalton wasn’t the same guy he was in last week’s triumphant performance, but he was able to push the ball downfield to keep the offense moving.
Dalton finished with 220 passing yards and two touchdowns, with one finding wideout Diontae Johnson and the other finding rookie Xavier Legette for his first NFL score.
The Panthers wrapped up the day with 375 yards of total offense (two more than the Bengals) and seven third-down conversions on 14 tries. That output helped keep them competitive on a scoreboard that once read them a 31-14 deficit.
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