The Offensive Line Must Protect Cam Newton

The Panthers lost three offensive linemen to injury before the regular season even began. And at some point this season, each of their five projected starters has missed time due to injury.

Veteran left tackle Chris Clark has been a godsend, as has right tackle Taylor Moton, who is in just his second NFL season. Both players stepped in after injuries and have exceeded expectations.

According to Football Outsiders, the Panthers have the eighth-ranked offensive line in the NFL. In addition to allowing the sixth-fewest sacks (17), they have been stuffed on just 17.5 percent of run plays. That second number ranks 10th in the league.

But like the defense, Carolina’s offensive line is also coming off its worst performance of the season. Quarterback Cam Newton was sacked a season-high five times for 46 yards against the Steelers. He was running for his life all night in something reminiscent of the past two seasons and not the improved play of his line through the first eight games of 2018.

Newton has played better than ever this year. He even looked good in stretches during the loss to the Steelers. But if the Panthers’ offensive line doesn’t protect the face of their franchise on a weekly basis, his struggles of the past two seasons could rear their ugly head once again.

The Panthers’ offensive line allowed more sacks last week than it did during the three-game winning streak preceding the 31-point loss. Consequently, one bad game is not a huge cause for concern. But if Carolina hasn’t figured out what went wrong against Pittsburgh, the same issues could seep into future contests.

Carolina has seen what Newton can do when he is afforded time to either throw the ball or take off and run. There’s a reason people call him “Superman.” But a leaky offensive line has proven to be his biggest kryptonite.

The Panthers’ offensive line must fix what happened in Week 10. Carolina has all kinds of playmakers, but they’re nothing without sufficient blocking.

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