The Carolina Panthers were defeated by the Denver Broncos 24-10 Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Many of the issues from Panthers training camp were brought to light again during the biggest game of the year.
From the first offensive snap for the Panthers, the Broncos defense exposed two major problems for the Panthers, led by 2011 No. 2 overall draft pick and outside linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. These problems included an offensive line that doesn’t handle quick pass-rushers well and subpar receivers who struggle catching the ball in traffic.
The offensive line in the game was overmatched throughout the evening. Miller was feasting upon Panthers right tackle Mike Remmers on almost every snap, one of which resulted in a sack fumble that resulted in Denver’s first touchdown of the game.
By the time Remmers got adjusted to the speedy moves of Miller, it was too late, and it freed up the former Texas A&M standout to use pure power moves on the offensive line. Remmers, however, was not the only one on the offensive line to look overmatched in the Panthers first trip to the Super Bowl in 12 years.
Left tackle Michael Oher (yes, the “Blind Side” guy) is not absolved from blame just because Remmers looked like a rag doll against Miller. Remmers and Oher were responsible for a lot of false starts on drives for the Panthers and at one point simultaneously false started during a pivotal drive to attempt to get Carolina back in the game during the fourth quarter.
Another key problem for the Panthers during the drubbing they received from the Broncos was the sub-par receivers that had been in the fold for the team since mid-August.
Kelvin Benjamin, the team’s leading receiver in 2014, went down with an ACL injury for the season during a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. The first couple of weeks, the receivers were dropping passes from quarterback Cam Newton, and while they stepped up their game over the last few months, the drops reared their ugly head in the Super Bowl.
Don’t get me wrong: I like Ted Ginn. I think that he really helped out a depleted receiving corps by giving them a speedy deep threat, but he’s not nearly the talent that Benjamin is. The corps all around, especially NC State alumnus Jerricho Cotchery, had crucial drops on major third downs during the game. Ginn himself had a ball slip right through his hands in the redzone and land in the hands of Broncos strong safety T.J. Ward for a drive-killing interception.
While the Panthers’ receivers and offensive line were able to play well enough during the regular and post-season to get the team to the Super Bowl, there are still a few things missing in both units that must be addressed during this offseason if the Panthers want to continue to be in the conversation of teams that will consistently be early-season Super Bowl favorites.
One major concern will be the handling of contract negotiations between Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman and defensive tackle Kawann Short before the start of free agency in March.
While Norman’s stats don’t necessarily show that he is an All-Pro (seven interceptions in his four year career), Norman is well known across the league as being one of the top defensive backs in the league after he held opposing quarterbacks to a 54.0 rating, which was the worst in the league when targeting a specific cornerback. Additionally, he had four interceptions this season, two of which were returned for touchdowns, as well as 18 pass deflections and three forced fumbles.
As for Short, he was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, one round before Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. This season was a breakout year for Short, who had 11 sacks in 2015 after only having five sacks in his first two season combined.
Short has clearly outplayed his rookie contract, but Norman is ready to hit free agency to get paid. Hopefully with Panthers general manager David Gettleman not strapped by a salary cap issue, there will be a way to keep both players and possibly bring in a big name free agent wide out such as Alshon Jeffery.
Gettleman can look at the Broncos as a business model to make it back to the Super Bowl. Just two years ago, the Broncos got smoked by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII and general manager John Elway made the moves to improve the weakness of the team, which at that time was the defense.
Elway signed Ware, Ward and cornerback Aqib Talib and turned the defense into the one we saw on display Sunday. I have no doubt that the Panthers are going to be in the conversation for Super Bowl favorites for years, and hopefully the team can learn from the mistakes and from the Broncos.
