It is commonly said that the most valuable skill in the sport of football is the ability to control ones emotions. The Carolina Panthers proved today that one of the biggest reasons that they are the worst team in the NFL this season by record is that they have been unable to hold their emotions in check. While offense and defense are important, it is common knowledge that if a team can’t be successful if they can’t play the game within the confines of the rules.
Carolina Panthers defensive lineman will regret Emotional Mistake
The Carolina Panthers defense has dramatically underperformed this season even though they have a long list of talented players. Part of the reason for that (and part of the reason former Head Coach Frank Reich is no longer there) is that the team has struggled to remained disciplined at times. That was certainly the case during Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
During the third quarter, Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans caught a 75-yard touchdown from quarterback Baker Mayfield to give Tampa Bay a 14-10 lead over Carolina. While there was a missed call regarding Evans stepping out of bounds, a coaches challenged corrected the call and awarded the Buccaneers the touchdown.
On the ensuing extra point, a scuffle broke out and star defensive end Brian Burns threw a punch at Buccaneers offensive lineman Cody Mauch well within eye sight of the officiating crew. As per the rules, any punches thrown result in the immediate ejection of the player and Burns was immediately tossed from the game.
ANOTHER EJECTION! Panthers LB Brian Burns has been ejected for throwing a punch. pic.twitter.com/WE9bEKxDgf
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) December 3, 2023
Impact of the Ejection of Brian Burns
Burns has established himself as the Panthers best player on the defense this season as he has tallied six sacks and a forced fumble so far this year. At this point of the game, the Panthers lack of discipline cost them their best player with 20 minutes left of gameplay remaining. It is possible that if Burns had shown a little more composure during that situation, he could’ve made a big play on the next drive when Tampa Bay sealed the game with another touchdown.
League has shown struggles controlling Players emotions
While Burns action was inexcusable and he fully deserved his ejection, the league has made clear that they need to prevent these on-field confrontations from happening at all. Small skirmishes between plays have not been a rare sight this season and the league needs to provide more authority to officials to both keep players safe and prevent lawlessness. After all, this is a family game and we don’t want to teach children that a standoff is an acceptable way to settle things during competitive sports.
Where do the Panthers go now?
The Panthers fall to 1-11 after the loss and fittingly become the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention. The offseason move by the team in the offseason trading for the Bryce Young looks even more controversial now because they’ll most likely become the first team in history to unwittingly trade away the first overall pick prior to the draft-defining season. The Panthers will have no choice but to attempt to improve this team purely through free agency and late round flyers.