At 3-2, Panthers' next five games will be crucial

[Sir Purr]

"We knew that they were going to come in and run the football," Rhule said. "That's who they are, and they do it really well."


Sunday's performance feeds into a larger issue. Carolina ranks No. 25 in rushing yards allowed (667) and No. 31 in yards per carry allowed (5.4).


"You just have to keep fighting to make 5-yard runs 3-yard runs," Rhule said. "I think it really starts up front with us being more disciplined about being in our gap.


"It's not optional. We're not playing optional one-gap football. That's something that we have to address this week."


Offensively, the Panthers have moved the ball well, currently ranking No. 6 in total yards. But they're 20th in points scored, which points out the need to improve at finishing drives.


Plus, there's the statistical anomaly that is the team's lack of tight end production.


Bridgewater has targeted tight ends only 13 times on his 178 passes. Chris Manhertz has three of them, catching each one. Ian Thomas has received the rest, but had just one target against Falcons, who came in giving up loads of catches, yards and touchdowns to tight ends.


"I think there are a lot of plays that were called where the tight end could've gotten the ball, and with the nature of how they covered, it just wasn't open," Rhule said.


Overall, Carolina has gotten just eight receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown out of the position. The Panthers are No. 31 in targeting tight ends just 7.3 percent of the time, with the league average at 19.8 percent. Only the Patriots (6.3 percent) have targeted the group at a lower rate.


"I don't ever worry about where the production comes from, but I do think you want to be balanced in the way that you approach things," Rhule said.


Because Carolina ranks No. 5 in passing yards, tight end production is a nitpick. No quarterback, including Bridgewater, should force a pass simply to create the illusion of balance. Still, opponents should at least feel a tight end can be a threat as an eligible receiver. Otherwise, defenses can use a heavier hand in rolling coverages.


So yes, despite winning three games in a row, the Panthers have plenty to work on. But they've shown when they attack something during the week, it usually pays off in the game. Plus, as cliché as it is, players have bought into the one-week-at-a-time mentality that's been proven to work in all sports.


"We're not worried about our record, we're not worried about the division," linebacker Shaq Thompson said. "We're controlling what we can control, and that's us playing each and every week going 1-0."


If the Panthers accomplish that over these critical next five games, "progress" might start getting replaced by another word that begins with "p" in conversations about this team.