In the wake of a 22-point loss to begin the campaign, it's fair to question almost everything that your team did over the offseason. The Carolina Panthers hung with the Chicago Bears and their high-powered offense as long as they could, but eventually got left in the dust for a 59-37 loss.
While there were a few hiccups offensively, you can't blame quarterback Bryce Young, his receivers or the run game for the defeat. The blame, instead, goes squarely on the shoulder of the defense.
Now, as part of their Week 1 overreactions, Bleacher Report has asked if the Panthers' big defensive spending spree from the spring has gone to waste. Here's Moe Moton breaking it down:
This offseason, Carolina signed edge-rusher Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120
million deal, inked Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd to a three-year, $42 million contract, added linebacker Bobby Okereke on a one-year, $1.5 million pact and drafted defensive tackle Lee Hunter in the second round. All four of those defenders made solid contributions in Sunday's loss to the Bears, but it wasn't enough to slow down one of the league's most electric offenses.
Moton has it right. While the defense performed poorly as a whole, the new guys did their part. Instead, it was the usually-solid pieces like star defensive lineman Derrick Brown who screwed up—especially on his killer third-and-20 penalty.
Several other Carolina defenders made mistakes, and at some point you have to put the blame on the coaching staff when that's the case. This is such an example, as defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was simply outclassed in every way that a defensive play-caller can be.
All that being said, the Chicago offense is going to humiliate a lot of teams this year—so Carolina's defense should look much better this week against the Atlanta Falcons. If the Panthers can contain Bijan Robinson (easier said than done), the Falcons will have nowhere else to go.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Analyst asks if Panthers wasted their free-agent spending spree
