Victory Mondays might be one and done at Bank of America Stadium this season.
Following Sunday’s 17-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, a pair of offensive players, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and left tackle Ickey Ekwonu, lamented about the lulls of practice ahead of their home defeat. And coach Dave Canales acknowledged Monday that last week’s victory break might not have been the right move.
The Panthers had taken Monday, Oct. 27 off to do some self-scouting. They ultimately defeated the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field six days later., on Nov. 2. So, a pause from the action after that win didn’t seem too detrimental at the time.
But the Panthers played one of their worst games of the season on Sunday after a grouping of underwhelming practices this past week.
“Maybe that’s not a good strategy for us,” Canales said about Victory Monday. “But it worked the week before, and giving the guys a chance to pour a little bit back into the cup — it’s not just a physical thing, it’s a mental and emotional thing — where you allow the guys to have a little space to recuperate and be ready and be focused to come back to work. And we have to make sure that we show the ability to handle that.”
Canales, who took the bulk of the blame for the Week 10 loss, detailed his frustration with the product in his opening statement on Monday. Canales said the Panthers didn’t protect the ball well enough, which compounded the lack of takeaways from the defense.
The head coach noted that the offense didn’t take advantage of the opportunities the unit was given by defense and special teams. The offense also didn’t have nearly as many explosive plays as the Saints.
“The fact that our defense was able to settle in and really keep the score the way it was — typically when you flip an explosive day like that, it leads to more points — but we did not respond well to getting the ball back to finish the game that way,” Canales said. “So, we just have to look at our process and say, ‘We’ve got to get back to work, and we’ve gotta make sure we take the lessons from this game.’
“The positives — there’s some good stuff on film — the effort was great, we played physical in really all phases. We looked fast and physical during the game, but it came down to fundamental execution and that’s where we have to take our focus to now.”
While head coaches typically own their losses publicly and privately, Canales said losses like the one to the Saints stick with him a bit more because of the offensive performance as the unit’s primary play-caller.
“I take on everything that I can as the head coach,” Canales said. “And it’s my responsibility, certainly with the offensive side of the ball, in making sure that we have a cohesive offense that makes sense, that has balance, that attacks the defense the right way. So, when we have a game like yesterday, I take it personal, first and foremost, and then it goes on down the chain.”
From the locker room: ‘The energy was off’
As Panthers players trickled out of their position meetings on Monday, rookie outside linebacker Nic Scourton stood in front of his locker.
He was asked about the lulls in practice last week, but the 21-year-old noted that the vibes on Sunday were noticeably off as well.
“Being a rookie, I don’t know how later-in-the-season practices are supposed to be, but I think it was just before the game — I got here early, and it was a little quiet,” Scourton said. “It just didn’t seem right. I’m not going to speak too much on practices, and what’s going on behind (the scenes), but I just feel the energy was off in the morning.”
Scourton had a standout performance with four tackles (one for loss), two QB hits and a sack against the Saints. But the defense gave up a trio of huge passing plays in the loss, with two going for touchdowns.
The offense put up just 175 net yards, and quarterback Bryce Young was limited to 124 passing yards and an interception.
The overarching production was scarce. And the locker room could feel the listlessness heading into the game.
“I did feel a little lackadaisical-like energy around, but that’s just how it is when you play 10 NFL games,” Scourton said. “I just felt the energy before the game was kind of off.”
Veteran right guard Austin Corbett has seen everything in the NFL.
He’s been a starter, and he’s been backup. He’s been on a perennial losing team, and he’s been on a Super Bowl-winning squad.
Corbett knows a thing or two about the rigors of the NFL season, and he understands why a letdown happened on Sunday. He also knows that the Panthers wasted a prime opportunity to make up ground in the division race.
“I think you’re getting into — including training camp — like Week 17 or 18 of the season, whatever it is,” Corbett said. “It’s a long year, and it takes a mature team to recognize those lulls and be able to respond with them accordingly, and not let them carry over to Sunday. And so, we’re learning how to do that.”
“It’s a big wake-up call,” Corbett added. “We had a big opportunity in the division to get a division win. Bucs lost. It was all out in front of us to take, and so now we’re going to have to go and work harder again.”
Scourton, who is tied for the team lead with three sacks on the season, doesn’t think Victory Monday is a worthwhile excuse for the loss to the Saints. He believes being a professional is about having dedication in and out of the facility.
“I think if guys live their routine, there should be no issues,” Scourton said. “We came in and did the same thing, just no tape review.”
Corbett, the eight-year veteran, agrees.
“Part of the maturity, as a professional athlete, is understanding that just because you have more time off of mandatory meetings, it’s not time off,” Corbett said. “You still have to do your work.”
Quick hits: Panthers by the numbers edition
The Panthers have produced 200 passing yards or more just once this season. Young threw for 328 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in a comeback effort against Arizona in a Week 2 loss. The Panthers lost to the Cardinals, 27-22, but trailed by as much as 24 points in the game.
The Panthers’ longest completion on the season so far was for 40 yards against Arizona. Young targeted wideout Tetairoa McMillan on a crossing route, and McMillan picked up the bulk of the yardage after the catch. There are 39 quarterbacks with longer season-high completions than Young, including New York’s Justin Fields (42), Tennessee’s Cam Ward (47) and Cincinnati’s Joe Flacco (44).
Last season, during the team’s second-half “turnaround,” the Panthers averaged 24.1 points per game over nine games. This season, through 10 games, Carolina is averaging 17.7 points per game, which ranks fifth-worst in the league.
Conversely, the Panthers’ defense — led by coordinator Ejiro Evero — is allowing 22.2 points per game. During that same nine-game stretch from last year’s second half, the unit was giving up 29.2 points. Over the past six games, the Panthers’ defense has allowed 21.1 points per game, even after giving up 40 to Buffalo in Week 8.
On Sunday, running back Chuba Hubbard set the new rushing record for a Canadian-born NFL player. With 14 rushing yards on three carries, Hubbard (3,488 career rushing yards) surpassed Reuben Mayes (3,484) for the top spot.