The Sunday Massacre: Carolina vs San Francisco

This game was a perfect example of a team getting beaten on both sides of the ball and honestly being outcoached. The Panther’s defense was exposed through the passing game and the run game. The Niners have the second-best run offense in football, and they showed it Sunday by gashing them for 232 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, they were successful in their pass rush, sacking Kyle Allen seven times. The pass defense did their job as well, holding Kyle Allen to close to a hundred yards passing on the whole game, Once you factor in the yards lost from sacks, and he was intercepted three times.

Christian McCaffrey was the one bright spot in the game

In a seemingly bad and just awful game for the whole team, Christian McCaffrey was the one bright spot in a dark game. McCaffrey rushed for 117 yards on 14 carries, a touchdown, and a rushing average of 8.4 yards per carry. In an offense that has been questionable this season, he has been consistent. Kyle Allen had his worst start of the season, and the run game was the only good thing they had going throughout the game. Overall it was just an embarrassing game for Carolina’s offensive line. They couldn’t protect their quarterback, and the San Francisco D-Line absolutely exposed them.

Where does Carolina go from here?

The Panthers have already announced that Kyle Allen will be the starter against Tennessee. This has received mixed reviews from the fan base as many fans believe that the showing against San Francisco proved that Kyle Allen was not the guy and that Cam needs to start as soon as possible. But Rivera has made it clear to fans that Cam is still recovering, and until he is back to full health, Allen will continue to start. A blowout loss is not what Carolina had in mind coming back from a bye week, but there is still time in the season to make a run. Tennessee is next, and after them, Green Bay awaits. Not to mention, they still have matchups with the Saints twice, the Colts, and the Seahawks later this season.

How can Carolina improve?

Carolina has to pass protect better. They have to protect their Quarterback, whether it is Kyle Allen right now or Cam when he returns. Pass protection has always been a struggle for this team, and it is a problem that needs fixing. Even if it means benching starters who aren’t performing up to par and trying different rotations of linemen to see what works because it’s clear what they have right now isn’t working.

The passing game has to be more of a presence. Allen isn’t much of a risk-taker, of course, but Carolina has to get receivers like D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel involved. The reason the pass has to be more of a presence is that McCaffrey can’t continue to carry the offense on his back like he is. Doing this will lead to an unwanted injury, and he will not do the team much good riding the bench hurt.

Next week

Next week the Panthers will take on the holders of last place in the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans. This will be an interesting game to watch. The Titans have had their struggles this season, but they have won their last two games against the Chargers and Buccaneers. The Panthers will be looking to rebound from their humiliating defeat and start the second half of the season with a good start.

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