Is It Officially Time for the Carolina Panthers to Panic?

No team would have wanted the distinction of being the first to lose to the traveling New Orleans Saints since Week 12 of the 2013 season, but that's precisely what the Carolina Panthers accomplished on Thursday night, losing 28-10. 

In a game that became a contest for the lead in the NFC South—a division in which 8-8 could be just good enough for a postseason berth—the Panthers could barely muster more than 200 yards of total offense. Cam Newton's completion percentage of 35.7 was the lowest of his career, and his 151 yards were the lowest of the season.

Meanwhile, Carolina's defense, which had allowed opponents 332.5 yards per game on average, let up 375. 

Drew Brees had one of his worst nights of the season, throwing for the second-fewest yards (297) and throwing one touchdown and one interception, but it was still enough for the victory. Carolina's run defense, ranked 27th in the league, made Mark Ingram look like a star, allowing him to gain 100 yards. 

Sure, the 3-5-1 Panthers are still second in their division behind the 4-4 Saints, but when problem areas continue to get worse rather than improve, that means it's time to panic in Carolina. 

Team	Record
New Orleans Saints	4-4
Carolina Panthers	3-5-1
Atlanta Falcons	2-6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1-6

The Panthers have gone 1-5-1 over their last seven games after starting the season 2-0. 

One of Carolina's most crippling deficiencies this season has been the state of its offensive line, which has in turn limited both the passing attack and the ground game. On Thursday, rookie David Foucault made his first start at left tackle after playing in the last three games, stepping in for Byron Bell (knee). 

MIKE MCCARN/Associated Press

In all, Carolina started four undrafted offensive linemen: Foucault (who was drafted in the CFL but not the NFL) at left tackle, rookie Andrew Norwell at left guard, Fernando Velasco at right guard and Nate Chandler, who is struggling with a groin injury, at right tackle. Ryan Kalil anchored the band of misfits. 

The Panthers are sorely missing Amini Silatolu (calf), Trai Turner (knee/ankle), Bell and even presumed backup Garry Williams, who was placed on injured reserve with an injured back. 

According to Pro Football Focus' (subscription required) Pass Blocking Efficiency rating, which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis, Carolina's offensive line is the seventh worst in the league in pass-blocking.

The pressures allowed represented in the table below do not include those from Thursday night's game, in which the line allowed four sacks and multiple hits and hurries on Newton. 

Passing Plays	Sacks Allowed	Hits Allowed	Hurries Allowed	Tot Pressure Allowed
320	17	12	64	93 (26th)

The line is part of the reason why Newton continues to struggle to move the ball effectively through the air, even when he can save plays with his feet. He only went 10-of-28 Thursday. However, Newton's mechanics are also to blame.

Many of his throws against New Orleans sailed high or were otherwise off target. Newton and rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin continue to appear to be struggling with chemistry. Newton targeted Benjamin 10 times Thursday night, but the rookie only brought in two receptions for 18 yards and had one drop. 

Offensive coordinator Mike Shula’s system has called for Newton to adjust his playing style to become a more effective passer. But that continued development, begun last season, has totally flatlined in 2014 with the signal-caller not getting the protection he needs from his line and not always being on the same page as his receivers.

In his first season in Carolina, Shula shifted Newton into a more conventional offense that tasked him with scrambling less and improving his pocket presence. The shift resulted in Newton's career-best completion percentage of 61.7 in 2013, and prior to his disastrous showing Thursday, it was at a healthy 60.1. That's the second-highest mark of his career. 

Newton has shown before that he has the skills to dominate from the pocket, but those skills appear to be digressing rather than progressing. 

Especially over the last four games, Newton has put together some of the uglier numbers of his NFL tenure.

Newton took on much of the blame for Thursday night's loss. "My job is to put my team in the best situation to win the football game and when that doesn't happen, the first person you look to on the offensive side is the quarterback," Newton said after the game, per Max Henson of Panthers.com. "I didn't get that job done."

The patchwork offensive line has also hurt the Panthers' rushing attack. Carolina is only averaging 94.7 rushing yards per game, which is 27th in the league. Pro Football Focus ranks the line's run-blocking as No. 24 in the NFL. 

Last season, the Panthers were 11th in rushing yards per game at 126.6. 

Even if the offensive line were effective, would Newton's mechanics still be off? Will Benjamin prove to be prone to drops? Is head coach Ron Rivera losing his locker room?

Carolina has a tough Monday night contest on the horizon against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that has totaled 19 sacks so far on the season. The Panthers also have more than half their division matchups to play, with three of those games in December, meaning this division race could come down to the wire. 

The Panthers' remaining non-divisional opponents—Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns—all currently have better records than them. It would be very possible for this squad to finish the season below .500.

There are many questions surrounding the Panthers heading into the second half of the season. Whether this team will see January is definitely one of them.