CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The explosive offense the Carolina Panthers were hoping for with a healthy Cam Newton and dynamic Christian McCaffrey finally showed up in the second half of Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but the transition to a 3-4 defense needs some work.
With veteran outside linebacker Bruce Irvin out with a hamstring injury the Panthers played a lot more 4-3 fronts than one might have expected. They collected only one sack a year after finishing 27th in the league in sacks, prompting the defensive change.