Carolina Panthers Report Card: Offense vs Broncos
The Carolina Panthers fell to 4-9 on Sunday with a 32-27 loss to the Denver Broncos. The Panthers' offense had success at times, but couldn't deliver when they needed to the most. Below is a look at how each aspect of the offense graded out.
Passing game: B-
Teddy Bridgewater finished the day completing 30 of his 40 passes for 283 yards. He connected with Pharoh Cooper for a 32-yard gain and Robby Anderson for 23 yards, but aside from that, there weren't too many explosive plays through the air. At one point in the game, Bridgewater caught fire and completed eleven straight passes but when it came down to the big-time moments, Bridgewater could not make enough plays to get the team in position to win.
Running game: B+
Mike Davis had a terrific game rushing for 51 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. All that said, he was not used enough. I know the Panthers have to be careful with the running back situation because they don't want to be down their top two guys, but Davis can handle 20ish carries a game. In any game where you are running the ball at six yards a pop, you must find a way to keep pounding the ball on the ground. 21 total rushes is entirely too low.
Blocking: /"?e line is becoming a big, big problem for the Panthers. The unit has been inconsistent all season long and seems like they continue to take steps back rather than take steps forward. It was another week where Teddy Bridgewater was under duress nearly the entire game as he was sacked four times and hit six times. The line also gave up five other negative plays aside from the sacks. Panthers GM Marty Hurney needs to do something about this in the offseason.
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