CHARLOTTE — The Panthers aren’t at the point in their development where they can give away yards.
So when they added to their penalty total Sunday, it became a common thread through every player and coach press conference.
The Panthers were flagged seven times for 65 yards against Washington, and they lead the league with 81 penalties against them in 11 games.
Included in that number were a holding penalty on usually reliable right tackle Taylor Moton in the fourth quarter, which wiped out a positive start to a drive, and a couple of unnecessary roughness penalties on safety Juston Burris for hits on Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
“The second to last drive, we start off second-and-2, and we are up and running and we have a holding call by Taylor Moton on the right side,” Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said. “Just too many penalties. The late hit on the quarterback for us. I couldn’t say there is any one common thread. I mean, a lot of those happened up front on the offensive line today, it felt like. It’s just hard to execute on offense when you get a good play and you think you are second-and-2 and you are actually first-and-20. Just not really good right now.”
Rhule’s frustration was obvious, since he’s been preaching about self-inflicted problems since training camp (when players had to touch the DBO sign as a reminder to “Don’t Beat Ourselves”).
And practically every player mentioned it afterward, which means it was clearly a point of emphasis in the locker room.
“Not beating ourselves is the theme I think you’ll probably hear a lot,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. “It’s the same every week. I think we’re a team that controls a lot of our own destiny, and sometimes we get in the way of that. That’s just got to change. We have to have a sense of urgency this week in practice of not beating ourselves, and that starts with the little things.
“At the same time, it’s attention to detail. It’s 53 guys pointing the thumb at themselves, and I believe every single individual affects winning. I believe that I affect winning, so I’ll look at the things that I did wrong and fix them and move on. That’s what this game is all about.”
— Rhule said the correct analytical call would have been to punt the ball with 3:05 left in the game. Instead, the Panthers left quarterback Cam Newton on the field. There was a moment of uncertainty, and they called a timeout before sending the offense back onto the field.
Newton’s pass to McCaffrey was stopped a yard short of a conversion, and Washington followed with a field goal for a six-point lead.
“I said hey, I have Christian McCaffrey. They haven’t stopped him all day. Let’s take a shot at it,” Rhule explained. “Still knew I had the two-minute warning and knew kind of like how it played out in the end where you get the ball back with a minute and a half if we needed to go down and score a touchdown.
“First started going with probably what is traditionally football-wise what you should do then just said, ‘Hey, let’s give these guys a shot to go make a play.’ I thought they would make the play. We made it. We just came up half of a yard short.”
— Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore still isn’t playing a full workload, but he is getting closer. The Panthers opened the game in their nickel defense with cornerbacks Donte Jackson and A.J. Bouye, and Gilmore’s still not a part of that group at the moment.
Rhule and Gilmore acknowledged that as he works back from last year’s quadriceps tear, he’s still getting back to full capacity.
“I am close,” Gilmore said. “I am just working back in there each and every week trying to get more and more reps. I am feeling more and more comfortable every week. I am just trying to listen to coach and listen to the trainers, and when I am out there, be impactful.”
Gilmore had interceptions in his first two games.
1 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
2 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
3 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
4 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
5 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
6 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
7 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
8 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
9 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
10 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
11 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
12 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
13 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
14 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
15 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
16 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
17 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
18 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
19 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
20 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
21 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
22 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
23 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
24 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
25 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
26 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
27 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
28 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
29 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
30 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
31 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
32 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
33 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
34 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
35 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
36 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
37 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
38 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
39 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
40 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
41 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
42 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
43 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
44 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
45 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
46 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
47 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
48 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
49 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
50 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
51 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
52 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
53 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
54 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
55 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
56 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
57 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
58 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
59 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
60 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
61 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
62 / 69
View photos from Sunday’s Week 11 game between Carolina and Washington at Bank of America Stadium.
Chanelle Smith-Walker
63 / 69
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
64 / 69
Chanelle Smith-Walker
65 / 69
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
66 / 69
Chanelle Smith-Walker
67 / 69
Chanelle Smith-Walker
68 / 69
Chanelle Smith-Walker
69 / 69
Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers
https://www.panthers.com/news/notebook-mistakes-continue-to-impact-panthers