The Carolina Panthers are off to an 0-2 start for their 2019 NFL season, thanks in part to two losses at home at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After losing 20-14 to the Bucs on Thursday, the Panthers will have to look to correct themselves quickly, but according to tight end Greg Olsen, the reason for the teams 0-2 start is pretty simple.
Greg Olsen: “It’s just bad ball, man. Drive-killers, penalties, bad plays. It’s hard enough to win. I don’t know what’s causing it.”
— Max Henson (@maxhenson) September 13, 2019
Speaking to the media (via Panthers Wire), Olsen attributed the two losses to “bad ball,” and credited things like penalties, bad plays, and a handful of other factors into being “drive-killers.” Last night, the Panthers suffered from a handful of drive-killers, including a pair of false starts that slowed things down.
Poor plays weren't the only thing to hurt the Panthers, however. The lack of consistent offensive line play has hurt the team, and it was very clear that quarterback Cam Newton was out of sorts for another game thanks to the pressure he was almost consistently facing. Newton was missing passes at an alarming rate on Thursday, and had some wide-open throws that he simply wasn’t able to make.
While Olsen calls the teams 0-2 stretch bad ball, he hasn’t played too badly himself. Olsen hauled in six catches on Thursday for 110 yards, topping the team in receiving yards. With a high-powered offense and solid defense, the Panthers likely didn’t think they would start the year off with two home losses, but they’ll have to figure things out fast if they want to salvage the season.
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