Panthers OC Joe Brady on red-zone woes: Offense needs to execute

Sunday won’t be a good time for the Carolina Panthers to continue their red-zone troubles. Because if there’s one thing we should know after having seen the New Orleans Saints twice a year for many a year, it’s that you’re not going to beat Sean Payton with field goals.

Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady addressed his unit’s seemingly perpetual problem on Thursday when speaking to reporters. The second-year play caller said they have to improve on actually making the plays when down inside the 20-yard line.

“We have to do a better job of executing down there,” he said when asked if there was any player he was particularly looking to incorporate more in red-zone packages moving forward.

“And that starts with myself, obviously, and we gotta make the plays that are thrown. We gotta throw and catch. We have to do a better job of just executing down there. I don’t think it’s anything that’s a huge ‘What happened there?’ It’s more of just pitching and catching and getting on their blocks and getting into the end zone.”

The bane of Brady’s first season as offensive coordinator was those stalled drives at the doorstep. Carolina’s ranked 28th in red-zone offense in 2020, having scored touchdowns on barely 50 percent of their trips there.

Week 1’s performance was no different, as the Panthers wound up with only one end-zone visit in their four treks into the New York Jets’ 20-yard line. Other than the 5-yard touchdown run by quarterback Sam Darnold, the possessions ended in a fumble (by Darnold) and a pair of field goals.

Again, you can’t expect to get the better of Payton and his Saints if you can’t punch the ball in. And that’s still evidently the case without Drew Brees at his disposal, as the offensive mastermind helped orchestrate five touchdown throws for Jameis Winston this past Sunday on only 148 passing yards.