After loss to the Browns, players and coaches said they had to be “smarter”

The Carolina Panthers suffered a 21-18 defeat against the Cleveland Browns in a game where the lead changed hands four times in the fourth quarter. Following the loss, Panthers head coach Dave Canales and linebacker Bobby Okereke both stated that the team needed to be smarter. A critical roughing the passer penalty on Okereke negated an interception by Akayleb Evans and led to the game-winning touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to Harold Fannin.

In addition to the decisive penalty, Canales noted that missed turnover chances, including dropped interceptions by Lathan Ransom and Will Lee, proved costly. The Panthers struggled offensively for much of the game, failing to adequately protect quarterback Bryce Young and settling for field goals instead of touchdowns on key red-zone possessions.