For all the miscues, mistakes, errors, penalties, missed tackles, blown coverages and ... well, everything that went wrong for the Carolina Panthers’ defense on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, they still somehow had a chance to salvage the game.
And they sure weren’t going to let it go to waste.
First, some context. For the first three quarters Sunday, an eventual 21-17 Carolina comeback victory, the Panthers’ defense was about as ineffective as it has been all season. Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz already had thrown for over 280 yards, Philadelphia’s two tight ends were carving the middle of the Panthers’ defense, and nobody in the secondary could contain the big-bodied Alshon Jeffery.