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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera counted 14 plays during Sunday's 38-10 loss at Baltimore on which at least two defensive players were out of position. Those are mistakes that have led to Carolina's defense dropping from fifth in the NFL after two games to 23rd after four. Those are mistakes that have led a unit that gave up only 21 points in the first two games to give up 75 in the past two.  Those are mistakes that have taken Carolina from one of the NFL's best run defenses to one of the worst, 27th with 140.8 yards allowed per game.
That kind of undisciplined behavior is Rivera's biggest concern as the Panthers (2-2) prepare for Sunday's home game against the Chicago Bears. It's a legitimate concern. Teams that can't stop the run typically aren't good teams because that opens the floodgates against the pass and impacts almost every other facet of the game. So what happened between Games 2 and 3? Rivera doesn't blame it on the loss of Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy, who was placed on the inactive list for Game 2 and then the commissioner's exempt list until his domestic violence case is resolved. Rivera said it's simply a matter of pressing. "Guys trying to make plays, guys are pressing to make plays, for whatever reason," he said on Monday. "When a team gets up on you a little bit, now all of a sudden it's, 'Hey, we just need to make one play. Somebody needs to make a play.' "Now all of a sudden there is a sense of urgency, maybe too much urgency. You're trying to force the issue. ... Those things you can't consistently do and expect to win." Rivera said that -- along with the running game that ranks 29th in the league offensively -- has to be fixed quickly or "it could be a long season for us." Carolina coaches spent tireless hours Monday reviewing why the team has become so undisciplined before thinking about preparing for Chicago. Rivera announced he was replacing starting right cornerback Melvin White with Josh Norman, something he typically wouldn't do until Wednesday, to send a message. White allowed former Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith to catch touchdown passes of 61 and 21 yards. The return of weakside linebacker Thomas Davis (hamstring) could help. But Rivera wouldn't use Davis' absence against Baltimore as an excuse. "No. It's more about doing your assignment, doing your job, and doing it the right way," he said. "It’s more about being more disciplined, about trying to stop trying to make the plays you don’t need to make. This is a downhill gap control defense. In our defense, you’re assigned a gap to control. Certain things change your gap you control, whether you’re running a stunt, or running a blitz, or they pull. "Those things change it; you don’t change it." Rivera said nobody is without fault, including middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. "Luke's made a couple of [bad] plays, also," Rivera said. "Everyone is culpable in this situation. That's what's disappointing. It's little things in terms of trying to do more than you're supposed to do, trying to do too much. "Again, stick to your assignments, stick to your job. Take care of your responsibility first. Those are things we've got to correct and those are things we've got to demand from players." Or it indeed will be a long season.
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