Frank Reich calls out Panthers' issues with offensive penalties in Week 3 loss to Seattle

It’s been tough sledding for the Panthers through the first three weeks of the season. The team is off to an 0-3 start and penalties crushed Carolina during Sunday’s 37-27 loss to Seattle on Sunday. Head coach Frank Reich wasn’t happy about it, either.

After the game, Reich pointed to dumb penalties throughout the game as a big reason why the Panthers dropped Sunday’s contest. He placed a lot of the blame on himself and his staff.

“Comin’ in, we knew the environment would be tough—good football and a tough place to play,” he said, per PanthersWire. “The number of penalties was totally inexcusable, pathetic.

“That starts with me, as an offensive coach. That starts with our offense coaches—getting our players ready. And that starts with our players. Unacceptable. It’s like we never played in the noise before. We knew it was comin’, we practiced all week with noise. I mean, Wednesday it was so loud out there, you couldn’t even think.”

Carolina finished the game with 13 penalties for 82 yards.

To Reich’s point, the team did prepare all week for the noise levels that have become famous at Seattle’s Lumen Field. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown called it a focal point.

“One of the keys for success for us as a team, but also offensively, is going to be (to) handle the noise,” Brown said last week, per the team’s website. “For us, that means two reasons, right? One (is) being on the field when it comes to our communication, our operation, from a nonverbal standpoint with the noise when we can’t hear. But also the noise outside the building. …

“Just being able to be focused, continue to stay on the same path, be committed to our process and our approach. Excited for a new opportunity.”

Even the team’s preparations didn’t offer much assistance on Monday.

Carolina also played without rookie quarterback Bryce Young, recovering from a Week 2 ankle injury. Andy Dalton took the start for the Panthers over the weekend. He put together a solid performance, but it wasn’t good enough to get the win.

Dalton completed 34-of-58 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception in the game.

The Panthers now look ahead to Sunday’s game against Minnesota. Both teams enter the Week 4 meeting with 0-3 records. So, somebody will finally pick up their first win of the season while the other drops to a disappointing 0-4.