With 5 games to go, Panthers will be grading Teddy Bridgewater’s performance
There were more questions than answers about the Carolina Panthers coming into the 2020 season.
Eleven straight weeks of Panthers football have taught us plenty about what to expect from the new era of the franchise.
How Matt Rhule is not afraid to go for it on fourth down, that winning is the priority — even if it means some of your recent top draft picks watching from the sidelines — and that there is no doubt that defensive end Brian Burns is a player worth building a defense around.
After a date in Minnesota this weekend, the Panthers finally get their bye week. And then, the final quarter of the season awaits.
With only handful of games left, plenty of conclusions have already been made about this team. At 4-7, the playoffs seem out of reach, but a top-10 draft pick remains a possibility.
Before heading off into the offseason, however, there is still plenty to watch for in the next five games. Here’s some of what is worth keeping an eye on.
Teddy Bridgewater
Whether the Panthers have the quarterback of the future in the building is still up in the air. Bridgewater signed a 3 year, $63 million deal in the offseason and is set up to be the starting quarterback for at least one more season. But the potential of drafting a quarterback is there if the right player comes around.
So every performance from Bridgewater is important. He’s building a season-long resume for the Panthers to take into the offseason.
There is no doubt that the quarterback has established himself as one of the leaders of this team. Even when he was made inactive for last week’s game, Bridgewater led the team in the huddle and was a valuable teacher on the sideline.
“He’s our starting quarterback. He’s our leader,” Rhule said when asked about Bridgewater making his return this week. “P.J. (Walker) came in and did a good job, got us a win. But Teddy’s our guy, so it’s great to have him back.”
Bridgewater is second in the league in completion percentage (72.1%) only behind his former teammate Drew Brees (73.5%). He is working in an offense that was built to fit him by offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who spent the 2018 season on the New Orleans Saints staff working with Bridgewater. He has weapons around him, despite being without Christian McCaffrey for eight games thus far, and has shown good decision making and an ability to make impressive throws throughout the season.
But there are also those multiple game-winning or tying drives that have fallen short and decisions by Bridgewater that haven’t been the best. The offense has struggled in third quarters and in the first half of the season struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone. There’s more to be seen from Bridgewater and these five games will be an opportunity to further evaluate what he can do.
Panthers young defenders
The Panthers’ defense is coming off its best game yet, holding the Lions scoreless — only the second team to hold an opponent to zero points this year. All seven of the 2020 draft picks are playing meaningful minutes on defense. Multiple undrafted rookies are seeing the field. On top of that, second- and third-year players, such as linebacker Jermaine Carter, are getting increased playing time because of their performance.
The development of those players has always been important and something to watch all season long.
With injuries to several starting defenders, incouding cornerback Donte Jackson and defensive tackle Kawann Short, more opportunities have presented themselves. The defensive side of the ball should continue to be addressed in next year’s draft, but getting a full assessment on which players should be part of the continued rebuild of the unit that began last offseason is valuable.
New faces will continue to be brought in, but there are players — Carter, for example — who have proved they may have a spot going forward.
Despite being without Short, the defensive line has improved throughout the season, led by Burns. Rookies Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos have looked promising. Efe Obada has a career-high 3.5 sacks and is playing some of his best football since being moved inside.
Watching how these players continue to develop will be vital for the work that will be done in the offseason and beyond.
What else we’re watching for
▪ Joey Slye has attempted two historic kicks this season, one from 65 yards and another from 67 yards. He is 1 of 5 from 50-plus yards this year after going 8 of 11 last year. It seems almost inevitable that Slye could get one more crack it after showing he has the leg to best Matt Prater’s 64-yard record. Will he get the chance?
▪ Will Rhule’s smock return? He wore his infamous sleeveless jacket, notorious from his time with Baylor, during the New Orleans Saints game, but hasn’t worn it since. Sideline fashion is the least of his priorities, but it would be fun to see the bright blue color once again.
