Teddy Bridgewater’s shortcomings stunt Panthers in loss to Bucs

Teddy Bridgewater’s shortcomings stunt Panthers in loss to Bucs

Joseph Charlton looks like if Olive Oyl put on pads and learned how to kick a football. So why did the Carolina Panthers trust their slender rookie punter to run through the middle of a defense for five yards on a critical fourth down?

Well, that zany (and unsuccessful) decision may indicate what they know they have in their starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. What they have – even as one of the most liked and respected human beings in the game – is a relatively limited ball player.

As you already may have guessed, Charlton did not convert the fake. This was one of a handful of indictments of Bridgewater’s abilities in a 23-point loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Five yards proved to be an obstacle earlier too, with Bridgewater checking down on 3rd and 5 to receiver Robby Anderson three yards short of the marker, leading to a quick three-and-out.

Bridgewater was underwhelming like this throughout, narrowing his offense’s potential to stretch the field, most notably coming up short for DJ Moore on an interception for Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. In an attempt to step up in the pocket through some pressure, Bridgewater lofted his throw into the waiting hand(s?) of Pierre-Paul.

That turnover put the proverbial fork in the Panthers, as Bridgewater’s mistake gave Tamp the ball back—already with a comfy two-possession lead.

Even Bridgewater’s lone flash of box score brilliance wasn’t that great. While he did complete each of his first 13 attempts, a lot of those throws were uncharacteristically off, putting caps on a number of plays and making his targets work harder than they had to.

For instance, his 38-yard connection with Moore late in the first was not everything that play could’ve been. Moore had his man clear behind him courtesy of a slick double move for what could have been a 62-yard touchdown. Bridgewater threw towards the sideline instead of firing over the top, essentially exchanging six points for a long first down.

To get even pettier, Carolina opted to end the second quarter with a punt rather than a Hail Mary by Bridgewater from their own 30-yard line. Last play of the half, seven seconds left, game tied at 17 . . . why not take a shot?

This brutal beatdown of the now 3-7 Panthers can’t be just Teddy’s fault, though.

In the second half, Carolina’s defense was trash. They certainly did their part in making this the team’s first non-competitive outing of the 2020 campaign, allowing Tampa not only to convert on 10 of their 16 third downs (including a 3rd & 19), but also allowing nine straight scoring drives.

The Buccaneers failed to put up points on only two possessions all afternoon. They very well may have scored on every time out, if not for a forced fumble by Shaq Thompson early on and three kneel downs by Blaine Gabbert to end the game.

But the Panthers were never going to put up a real fight, regardless of how awful their defense was. It’s why they couldn’t overcome the greatness of Patrick Mahomes last week and it’s why they were never going to win a shootout with Tom Brady and the Bucs this week.

You’re not going to outgun most teams with a quarterback who starts 5-for-5 for nine yards and ends averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. You’re also not going far period with a QB who puts a low ceiling on your offense, no matter how warm his comeback story is.

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