The Carolina Panthers will have work to do in the second half at Lambeau Field on Thursday Night Football.
One task ahead of them might be to get Darren Waller involved more — or at all.
The Panthers trail 20-10 at the half, and they’re spreading the ball around a lot.
Despite that, Waller hasn’t touched it once. The big target could be of help to Bryce Young, who has been under heavy pressure.
But through a half, nothing.
Is Darren Waller Playing Tonight?
Yes, the Panthers’ veteran tight end is in action on Thursday night.
He wasn’t on the injury report during the week, and he hasn’t gotten dinged up in any apparent way during the first half.
He simply doesn’t have a catch through the first 30 minutes of action.
Why Isn’t Darren Waller Catching Passes?
Waller hasn’t been in the usual spot of the field where he gets involved.
The Panthers like to use Waller the most in the red zone, and while they were down there a bit early in the first half, the offense then got cold.
Young was under fire from the Packers‘ pressure, and the Panthers needed to use their better-blocking tight ends to try to keep their quarterback upright.
Waller did have one first-half target, but that was early, and he didn’t catch it.
For Waller to get more involved in the second half, it’s really about the field position. The Panthers need to stay ahead of the sticks and get into scoring zones of the field. Those are the best spots for Young to count on Waller.
Darren Waller TD Chances
Waller has shown that when he’s in good positions, he finds the end zone.
He had a two-touchdown game earlier this season, and in the blowout loss against Tampa Bay a week ago, Waller caught a 50-yard TD over the top of the defense.
Carolina hasn’t connected on a first-half catch for either Jalen Coker or Waller. If they can’t get more of their weapons going in the second half, they could be in trouble.
Is Darren Waller Playing Tonight? Why Panthers’ TE Isn’t Catching Passes