3 Takeaways – Panthers vs Bears

3 quick takeaways from the Carolina Panthers 23-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 6 of the 2020 NFL Season.

1. The Panthers cant turn the ball over and win games. On Sunday the Panthers had three costly turnovers, two interceptions from QB Teddy Bridgewater and a fumble by RB Mike Davis. The Panthers had 3 turnovers in their loss prior 3 weeks ago vs Tampa in roughly the same fashion, early turnovers in the 1st quarter that created a hole that the Panthers had to fight to dig out of of all day long. Playing from behind vs this Bears defense is not recommended, especially for a young team like the Panthers. The Panthers rank 11th in the league in turnovers lost after Sunday with 8. 6 of those came in losses to Tampa Bay in Week 2 and yesterday vs the Bears.
2. Mike Davis is NOT Christian McCaffrey. The bubble burst on RB Mike Davis along with the Panthers offensive line yesterday vs a swarming Bears defense. Davis only rushed for 52 yards on 18 carries, for a subpar 2.8 yards per carry average. A lot of this can be attributed to the Panthers offensive line simply not getting push off the ball at the snap and Chicago defenders finding the backfield all day long. But Sunday’s performance vs a top ten defense should finally show the naysayers that this team NEEDS Christian McCaffrey. He is the best Running Back in the NFL and would have definitely kept the Bears defense honest today. Davis will excel in a role where he spells McCaffrey and allows Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady another toy to play with. But hes NOT a feature back, at least not for long stretches of weeks. McCaffrey was eligible to come off of IR this past week and may be available this week as the Panthers prepare for the rival Saints. If he’s healthy and ready to go….McCaffrey will want to play. Head Coach Matt Rhule has said however that they do not plan to rush McCaffrey back so we’ll see if its this upcoming week or the following that the Panthers get their number one weapon back.
3. The Panthers….do not suck as advertised. At 3-3, six weeks into the 2020 season, many pundits only predicted 3 wins total for the 2020 Carolina Panthers. They have been in every game they have played this year, even with turnovers. They have had a chance to win deep in the 4th quarter despite mistakes every week so far. Teddy Bridgewater saw pressure for really the first time all season and did not perform well, going 16-29 for 219 yards, 0 Touchdowns and 2 Interceptions on the day. He completed only 55% of his passes on Sunday, way down from his 73% completion rate entering the game (the day dropped Teddy from 1st in the league in completion percentage to 8th at 70%). Keep in mind, Bridgewater was not only without RB Christian McCaffrey but also WR Curtis Samuel who was a late scratch. Samuel has proven to be important in McCaffrey’s absence, playing a dual WR/RB role and has been particularly effective on 3rd down the past few weeks. Bridgewater missed Samuel yesterday as another steady target. Bridgewater was also sacked 4 times yesterday for a loss of 25 yards. He hadn’t been touched in 2 weeks prior. Add all that up? These young Panthers simply played sloppy for 3 quarters, still rallied in the 4th to make it a game and almost escaped with an improbably victory over a 4-1 team. If each game this season, a season of “rebuilding” is going to happen like this? We will take it Panthers Nation.

Desmond Johnson is the host of “Bleav in Carolina Panthers” podcast with former Panthers CB Tyrone Poole. He is also the owner of SportsCarolinaMonthly.com and Tobacco Road Sports Radio. Follow Desmond on Twitter at @dez_3505