'That's not like us:' Panthers penalize effort vs. Cowboys 

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble leaps into the end zone for a touchdown in their 33-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. Carolina dropped to 1-9, the NFL's worst record.

Before things got ugly in a 33-10 loss Sunday to Dalls, the Carolina Panthers were in position with 1:19 in the first half to cut into their seven-point deficit.

Hold on.

Linebacker Amare Barno was flagged for unnecessary roughness. First down Dallas.

Two plays later, on a third-and-16 play, Dak Prescott completed a pass to CeeDee Lamb for a 10-yard gain.

Defensively, it would have been a win to force the high-scoring Cowboys into a field goal attempt.

Hold on.

DeShawn Williams was flagged for unnecessary roughness. First down.  

Three plays later, two of the NFL’s hottest players, Prescott and Lamb, made the Panthers pay for their indiscretions, connecting on a 5-yard pass 24 seconds before halftime.

The Panthers’ inability to produce consistent offense was again showcased during Sunday’s 33-10 loss at Bank of America Stadium. This time, the loss was aided by defensive penalties.

“That’s not like us,” said safety Xavier Woods, who also was flagged on a third-down play. “That starts with me. I had the first one on third down. All year we haven’t had those problems. Some guys are playing fast. Mine? I’ve got to be better than that.”

That’s been a familiar refrain for the 1-9 Panthers. Or as coach Frank Reich again said during his post-game press conference: “As a coach, that’s on me.”

As Carolina slips into the NFL’s abyss, the roster lacks playmakers, on both sides of the ball.

The Panthers have not intercepted a pass since Oct. 15 at Miami.  On Sunday, Carolina also failed to produce a sack, while rookie QB Bryce Young was sacked seven times and threw another pick-six.

“It’s very frustrating,” Woods said. “Maybe we’re not covering good enough. Maybe we’re not getting enough pressure. It goes both ways.”

Through 10 games, the Panthers have produced just five interceptions and Troy Hill remains the lone cornerback with one.

Cornerback Donte Jackson played a role in containing Prescott and Lamb, but affirmed the mounting penalty problems need to be addressed.

“One hundred percent ... 100%,” said Jackson, who had five tackles (four solo) Sunday. “There were a lot of penalties in situations we knew we couldn’t have ‘em.

“It sucks because you play good and you shoot yourself in the foot. You know you got ‘em where you want ‘em and they get bailed out by a bad penalty.”

Regarding the lack of turnovers by the secondary, Jackson claimed part of the blame. Again, a familiar refrain this season.

“It’s frustrating, especially for me being on the back end that we can’t go up and attack the ball and get some interceptions, get some turnovers,” he said. “It’s definitely frustrating. That’s the area where I feel like me and all the secondary guys we have to do better. We gotta go out and get some takeaways and continue to make plays.”

Panthers contain Prescott-Lamb

As Lamb grabbed a third-quarter screen pass from Prescott, the dynamic receiver looked to get up field. When those two connected recently, it generally went for big gains.

Not this time.

Before sustaining an injury, cornerback Dicaprio Bootle ran up and executed an open-field tackle for a 2-yard gain. On the next play, a third-down pass, Lamb found himself double covered on a deep route down the near sideline, forcing an incompletion.

The Panthers made their share of mistakes Sunday, but stayed with the 7-3 Cowboys for three quarters by mostly denying Prescott and Lamb open looks.

Coming off a 404-yard, four-touchdown outing against the New York Giants, Prescott recorded three consecutive 300-yard, three-TD games, matching a mark shared by Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning and Steve Young.

Lamb, meanwhile, joined Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson as the lone receivers to catch at least 10 passes in four straight starts. Lamb entered Sunday with 617 receiving yards the past four outings, tops in the NFL during that span.

Both streaks abruptly ended.

At halftime, the Panthers limited Prescott to 126 passing yards on 16-of-27 attempts.

Lamb registered three first-half catches for 20 yards on five targets. He finished with six catches for 38 yards, while Prescott was held to 189 yards passing.

The Panthers’ offense?

Well, Young directed the club to 187 total yards and 13 first downs.

What’s next?

Another familiar refrain.

“Man, we just got to keep fighting,” Woods said. “As cliché as it is, just try again.”

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