Cam Newton, Panthers Offense Can't Force Defense to Carry Team

The Carolina Panthers will only go as far as their defense takes them this season. 

If Sunday night's performance is any indication, the defense won't be enough to propel the rest of the team to another division title and a playoff appearance. 

After a 2-0 start, the Panthers stumbled (more like fell flat on their faces) against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Carolina surrendered a whopping 454 total yards as the Steelers dominated 37-19.

Opponent	Points	Total Yards	Rushing Yards	Passing Yards	Sacks	Turnovers
Buccaneers	14	264	102	162	3	3
Lions	7	323	70	253	4	3
Steelers	37	454	264	190	1	0

It's up to Carolina's franchise quarterback, Cam Newton, to take it upon himself and carry the offense, particularly when the team is facing a quarterback the caliber of the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger. 

What the two-time Super Bowl champion did against Carolina is what he does against everyone else. 

Roethlisberger was efficient (22-of-30 passing), and he created plays by moving around in the pocket to find open receivers. The Steelers quarterback didn't have to pass for a ton of yardage; he simply needed to make plays when called upon to do so. And he did. 

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

The same is expected of Newton. 

The Carolina quarterback actually threw for more yards than Roethlisberger, but Newton continues to struggle moving around the pocket due to an injured rib and ankle. It became a hindrance throughout the contest as the Steelers sacked the athletic signal-caller three times and applied pressure throughout the game. 

Newton will be asked at points this season to match the other team's offense, and he can't fall short. The defense isn't always going to play to the championship standard Carolina expects. 

Poor play from the offensive line, curious play-calling and weak special teams efforts played a part, but the defense did enough through the first half to keep Carolina in the game before it crumbled in the second half. 

It's easy to write off this performance as an aberration by the Panthers defense. After all, this is nearly the same unit that finished second overall in total defense during the 2013 campaign. Carolina has arguably the best pair of linebackers in the NFL in veteran Thomas Davis and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly. The defensive line is also talented and deep. 

Yet the Steelers were able to gash Carolina's defensive front early and often. One play summed up the Panthers' entire defensive effort. 

Carolina trailed 16-6 with six minutes and 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Carolina pinned Pittsburgh at the 8-yard line. On 2nd-and-22, Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell ripped an 81-yard run. 

The big play was a direct result of defensive tackle Star Lotulelei being pushed back at the point of attack and both Kuechly and Davis losing their gap responsibilities. 

Bell's romp wasn't simply deflating; it was historic, as noted by Panthers.com writer Bryan Strickland and NBC's Sunday Night Football:

The drive eventually resulted in a touchdown, which gave the Steelers a three-score lead Carolina wasn't able to overcome. 

It wasn't the only big run the Panthers surrendered. LeGarrette Blount added a 50-yard scamper as the Steelers were attempting to run the clock in the fourth quarter. 

It was quite clear the Panthers defense wore down as both Bell and Blount eclipsed 100 yards. 

The upcoming schedule is brutal: Ravens, Bears, Bengals, Packers, Seahawks, Saints, Eagles and Falcons, in that order. All possess talented offenses with the ability to effectively run the ball. 

Carolina's defense isn't going to return to its stingy self on a weekly basis against those opponents. The unit desperately needs to correct the mistakes made against the Steelers, but it will also fall on Newton and the offense to play at a much higher level during the rest of the season.