Carolina Panthers: Defense is the Biggest Bye Week Fix
Defense has been the primary issue for the Carolina Panthers during their disappointing 1-5 start to the 2016 season
The Carolina Panthers are reeling after a 1-5 start. Teams usually point towards a number of issues, such as injuries, as reasons why they get off to a bad start. But the Panthers can’t lean on the crutch of injuries. As the bye week comes to a close and the Panthers prepare to face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, it’s clear that inconsistent defensive play is the issue plaguing Carolina.
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Coming into Week 8, the Panthers are allowing 29.3 points per game, the fourth-worst mark in the NFL. That’s a clear turnaround from how strongly the Panthers performed last season. This group had a vaunted defense in 2015, holding teams to only 19.3 per outing. Clearly, the group has struggled to embody those same lock down abilities in 2016.
From a statistical point, one may point towards the passing game as the main issue. Yes, Josh Norman has left for the Washington Redskins, but his departure can’t be the only issue that has caused this situation. The Panthers are giving up 296.5 passing yards per game, but what is most telling is the 21 passing plays that have gone 20 plus yards against them. Plus, the team has allowed 711 yards after the catch—a massive number so early in the year.
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Carolina has made moves to find the correct lineup for their defensive backfield. The group cut Bene Benwikere after his bad performance against the Atlanta Falcons and since added Michael Griffin in an effort to add some experience in an area where it’s needed. Unfortunately, these moves have not translated into the ability to shut down some of the high powered passing attacks facing them in the NFC South.
The current predicament for the Panthers isn’t all loom and gloom on the defensive front. Six games into the season they are holding opponents to 89.5 rushing yards per game, making them the seventh best rushing defense in the league. The front seven are doing a sound job stuffing the run, but their inability to get consistent pressure on the quarterback is one aspect of the issue that allows opposing quarterbacks to have such success against them through the air.
Defense has been a driving force behind the Panthers success in the past few seasons. That success hasn’t translated over to the 2016 year as teams are racking up a wealth of points and yards each time Carolina takes to the field. There are areas in which the group has looked like they can have an impact, but overall, the defensive unit has underperformed early in this season.
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Coming out of the bye week, this is perhaps the issue that the Panthers need to have addressed. If this unit has any hopes of turning things around before the season gets out of hand and the postseason escapes their grasp, then it’s going to have to start on the defensive side of the ball.