When a three-point spread turns into a 34-point loss, there are a lot of areas that could be an area of focus for the next game.
Offensive line struggles. Ineffective pass rush. Breakdowns in coverage. In-game coaching adjustments.
But being typical for football, the spotlight this week shines on the quarterbacks.
During the first drive of the game on Saturday, quarterback Gio Lopez completed both his passes on a seven-play, 83-yard touchdown drive. Lopez threw for 58 yards on that drive. He finished
with 69 total passing yards in the game. The now-infamous stat from the telecast clocked two hours between completions from Lopez.
Over the next seven series, the Lopez-led offense had five punts, one interception, and one fumble.
Part of the blame falls on Lopez, but more criticism can be directed at the offensive line and the play calls. The offensive game plan seemed to treat Lopez like a third-string quarterback. The overreliance on the run made it seem as though the coaching staff did not trust him to throw. Lopez was touted as a speedy dual threat, but he spent a lot of snaps under center and did not have many opportunities to use his wheels.
Late in the third quarter, Lopez was injured after a sack and fumble. Max Johnson entered the game and led the offense for the final three series.
Johnson’s first series was a successful touchdown drive. Johnson went 8-9 through the air, passing for 80 yards and a touchdown. Johnson looked comfortable running the offense, and the four completions for 10 yards or more showed how well the passing attack can work for this team.
In Johnson’s second series, he completed passes of 16 and 6 yards before a Davion Gause fumble ended the drive. These flashes, once again, showed how Johnson can work in this offense. The only caveats are that the TCU defense planned for Lopez, despite him being a limited factor, and it was 41-7 when Johnson entered the game.
In his press conference on Wednesday, head coach Bill Belichick said he did not have an injury update on Lopez, and no decisions were made on the starting quarterback.
If Lopez retains his starting job, the coaching staff needs to instill some confidence in him through the play calls. Lopez is a dual threat and should be used as such. For Lopez, he must make significant strides in learning the playbook and his receivers.
If Johnson earns the start, he must be a calming influence for a struggling offense. As he showed briefly on Monday, he can spread it around; he distributed the ball to five different players over his nine completions. There is still much to learn about this team, and sharing the load can help everyone learn more about the Carolina offense.
And do not forget the starting quarterback for Charlotte. Conner Harrell spent three years in Chapel Hill, and made his first career regular season start last year — against the 49ers.
