PHOTO | TROY HULL

Carolina Panthers receiver D.J. Moore (2) celebrates after catching a 5-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold in the second quarter of their 24-16 loss Sunday to Pittsburgh Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers fell to 5-9, a game behind Tampa Bay for the NFC South lead.

The Panthers lost their identity to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and with it a chance to earn a tie atop the NFC South.

Pittsburgh, which beat Carolina 24-16 Sunday at Bank of America Stadium – the Panthers first home loss under interim head coach Steve Wilks – were more physical from start to finish. The result left Carolina a game behind Tampa Bay, which lost to Cincinnati.

“I put it on me,” Wilks said. “I didn’t have the guys ready and prepared. That’s my fault and I agree with the statement. They were more physical than us today which is not our mantra. It’s not us.”

Although the division is still up for grabs with Carolina and Atlanta tied for second with three games left in the regular season, Wilks wants to quash any discussion of reeling in Tampa Bay – not that it helped the Panthers against Pittsburgh (6-8).

“I thought the focus was fine,” he said. “The execution did not prevail. Still not worrying about it last week, not worrying about it now. We’ve got to worry about trying to get ourselves right to win a football game. I don’t want anybody in this building talking playoffs.”

The most telling statistic was third down efficiency. Pittsburgh converted 12-of-16 (75%) compared to the Panthers’ 4-of-11 (36%). Because Carolina couldn’t get the Steelers’ offense off the field, Pittsburgh held the ball for 36 minutes, 11 seconds. The most deflating stretch was a 21-play, 91-yard Steelers drive to start the third quarter.

That march consumed 11:43 and ended with a touchdown for a 21-7 Pittsburgh advantage.

“It was just poor execution,” Panthers defensive end Brian Burns said. “They just did a good job of running the ball (156 yards compared to Carolina’s season-low 21). They focused on the run a lot and they were in a lot of third and manageables.”

Said Wilks: “Third down was horrendous to say the least on both sides.”

Offensively, Carolina couldn’t develop much consistency with the running attack that worked so well recently. The Panthers’ longest run was a 5-yarder by D’Onta Foreman, who finished with 9 yards on 10 carries. Pittsburgh’s defensive dominance was so thorough, it left Carolina with few opportunities to mount a comeback.

“Losing at home, no matter what the circumstances are, it always sucks,” said quarterback Sam Darnold who completed 14-of-23 passes for 225 yards and a score but was sacked four times. … “You have to give a lot of credit to those guys, to the Steelers. At the end of the day, I feel like we didn’t play our brand of football. I think we just have to be better in all facets, especially third down and in the red zone.”

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