Cat Scratch Reader
It certainly would have been been a pleasant break from tradition for the Carolina Panthers to open their first game of the season with some high-flying action on offense and a brick wall of a defense. Unfortunately, fans were yet again subjected to another sloppy performance loaded with miscues and ‘almosts’ in Week One.
The lopsided score certainly tells one story, one that would lead any rational observer to believe that the Jacksonville Jaguars were far and away the better football team on Sunday afternoon. On a second viewing, maybe even the third, after the sting of disappointment from losing and the boredom from a 75 minute rain delay have subsided, it’s fair to say the two teams are closer than the 16 point margin of victory would indicate.
Let me be clear: it was bad… really bad. But the eternal optimist in me can’t help but hold onto a group of plays that were just a hair away from being great, or at least one miscue away from not being an abject disaster leading to a tighter game. Let’s take a look at 7 plays from Sunday’s match-up that ended up being the turning points.
The Panthers had matched the Jaguars 13 play, 6+ minute drive with one of their very own. A valiant attempt to knock off the rust of the offseason came down to a 3rd and 5 from the Jaguars 30. Left tackle Yosh Nijman takes an immediate loss in pass protection forcing Bryce Young to float one out to Hunter Renfrow that falls incomplete.
Put another way, the back-up left tackle gave up quick pressure, forcing Young to make an anticipatory throw off his back foot to the 3rd string slot receiver who is half a step out of his break up the field. While it would have been a tough catch for Renfrow, it was still a catchable ball. Arguments can be made that a defensive pass interference call is justified as the defender made early contact without turning their head to look for the ball. A better block, a better throw under pressure, a contested catch or even a flag thrown and maybe the Panthers are looking at an opportunity to go up 7-3.
On 2nd and 1, it’s prime time to try and find a chunk play in the passing game. Head coach and play caller Dave Canales dialed up a play-action bootleg pass to do just that, but when Young released the ball he did not account for the safety who had already peeled off the vertical route by Brycen Tremayne and was flying downhill to beat Xavier Legette to his spot to break up the pass. A fortuitous bounce into the air and Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun completes the tip drill for the interception.
There’s not much more to say about this one, unfortunately. While the defensive had was a perfect counter to the Panthers...
