What the Panthers' Win Over the Rams Really Means
The Panthers hung on for an ugly win in today's game against the Los Angeles Rams, prevailing 13-10 in a defensive battle. A win is a win nonetheless, but should Panthers fans be happy with the result?
The highs: Once again, the team produced a solid defensive performance, holding the Rams to 339 total yards (280 passing and 59 rushing) and a mere 10 points. These were all below their averages on the season. The pass defense is much improved from several weeks ago; the team collected eight passes defended and an interception on Keenum, and rookie corner James Bradberry played well in his return from injury, a good sign for the depleted secondary. On the defensive line, DE Kony Ealy finally came up with his first sack on the season after racking up 9 in his first two years with the team, hopefully foreshadowing an end to his slump.
The lows: The Panthers offense wasn't able to do much against a good Rams defense, amassing a total of 242 yards. Cam's stats through the air are solid, with 225 yards and a touchdown, but the run game never got going in this matchup. The stifling Los Angeles defense, 7th in the NFL in total defense, had Newton's number all game, sacking him 5 times for a loss of 40 yards, and limiting him to just 16 yards on 7 carries. The Panthers' offense relies on Cam's running ability to stay dynamic and effective, and unfortunately that aspect of his game wasn't able to shine today due to a somewhat poor performance on the offensive line. The team collectively managed 2.3 yards per carry on the day, which is nowhere near what it's capable of.
Analysis: The caveat in this game is the atrocity of the Rams' offense, dead last in the NFL in points per game and 30th in terms of total offense. The Rams really struggle to put up points, and we knew that heading into the game, which is why I pegged this matchup a definite win for the Panthers in an earlier article. Yes, the Panthers' defense played well and won them the game, but that's not necessarily hard to do against the Rams' dismal offensive attack. Still remaining on the schedule are games against the Raiders, Falcons, Saints, Redskins, and Chargers, 5 of the league's top 6 teams in total offense. In order to stay in these games, the Panthers' defense is going to need to be up to the task and continue on this trend of improvement, not stagnation.
Perhaps more importantly, the Panthers offense is going to need to give the defense a cushion in these games, especially against similar top defensive teams such as the Seahawks and Chiefs, and with this performance today against a solid Rams defense, I'm not so confident that they can. The team has put up large offensive numbers against weak defensive teams, but it's going to need to prove that they can handle tough defenses as well (questionable performances against the Broncos and Vikings are prime examples of this).
All in all, as previously mentioned, a win is a win, and the Panthers are now on a two-game win streak heading into next week's matchup against the Chiefs, slowly building momentum and bringing themselves one step closer to an improbable but still possible playoff appearance. But Panthers fans shouldn't be too content with this performance. A win of small margins over the Rams doesn't mean much, given the team's lowly offensive state and the Panthers' disappointing offensive performance, and the team will need to continue to improve on both sides of the ball if a winning record is going to be reached this season.
