–The Panthers parted with running back CJ Anderson just midway through the season, so his ability to replace the production of Jonathan Stewart didn’t pan out or wasn’t needed.
It became increasingly clear that Christian McCaffrey could handle rushing responsibilities in addition to his role as a versatile player out of the backfield.
“When we signed CJ in the spring, he saw a bigger role than he has had,” general manager Marty Hurney said. “And at the same time, so did we. But Christian has taken so much of the offense and so much of the plays, we just made the best decision that this was the best thing for all parties involved.”
The Panthers added running back Travaris Cadet to the roster. He played five of his previous eight seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
Anderson was coming off a season with more than 1,000 rushing yards for the Denver Broncos.
–The defensive miscues were numerous in the loss to Pittsburgh. The Panthers had extra time to address some of those and it was probably a good thing.
It wasn’t just giving up big plays that were troublesome, but there were some alignment and play-calling snags. For instance, there was a third-down play when only two Panthers rushed the quarterback.
“We’re pleased with the way guys responded,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “We are going to move forward and utilize what we have learned.”
In Washington’s view, the defensive outing was abnormal and no signs of a trend.
–It was one thing when safety Eric Reid was penalized for a hit against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but his ejection has drawn some questions from the Panthers. They don’t want Reid to be categorized as a player taking liberties with extra-hard hits.
Head coach Ron Rivera said he understood why Reid was flagged on the play, but the excessive part, in his view, came from the ejection.
“I don’t think that was warranted,” Rivera said. “I don’t think he hit him hard enough to eject him.”
Reid missed the final quarter of the game, though he led Carolina with nine tackles.
BY THE NUMBERS: 2 – Catches needed by Panthers TE Greg Olsen to move into fifth place on the NFL’s all-time list for receptions by a tight end. Olsen has 661, trailing Ozzie Newsome by one.