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Carolina Panthers' offensive issues extend beyond dress code

By The Sports Xchange
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) is sacked for a two-yard loss by Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker K.J. Wright (50) at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on December 4, 2016. Newton completed 14 of 32 passes for 182 yards and passed for one touchdown in the Panthers 7-40 loss to the Seahawks. Photo by Jim Bryant/UPI
1 of 3 | Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) is sacked for a two-yard loss by Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker K.J. Wright (50) at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on December 4, 2016. Newton completed 14 of 32 passes for 182 yards and passed for one touchdown in the Panthers 7-40 loss to the Seahawks. Photo by Jim Bryant/UPI | License Photo

You can question whether Ron Rivera made the right call to bench Cam Newton at the start of Sunday night's loss in Seattle, but it's tough to argue with this:

"We didn't lose this game because of a tie," Newton said.

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Derek Anderson's opening-play interception set the tone on a night when embarrassing moments piled on top of each other, yet the Panthers didn't fall to 4-8 because Newton wore a turtleneck and not a tie on the team's flight from San Jose on Saturday.

Carolina's offense has been broken for weeks and the league's stingiest defense wasn't going to be threatened much by a sputtering unit with a badly banged-up offensive line.

A week after gaining just 89 yards before halftime in Oakland, the Panthers managed 115 yards in Sunday's first half. And think about the biggest plays in each half -- running back Jonathan Stewart's 47-yard run against the Raiders and Ted Ginn Jr.'s 55-yard score in Seattle. That comes out to 102 yards, which is exactly what the Panthers totaled in their 45 other plays in the first half the past two weeks.

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"These are humbling experiences," said tight end Greg Olsen, who was held to seven receptions and 75 yards on the West Coast swing. "The reality is we just aren't very good right now, that's just the reality. That's all anyone should care about. Just win one time, one game. Prepare that way, play that way, play smart, execute, and win one game."

And make sure you wear a tie on your way in.

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