The Carolina Panthers have a slight coaching problem, but they have a serious defensive coordinator problem. Ejiro Evero's defense is night and day from week to week, but they can no longer afford to stomach that.

For years, Evero got the benefit of the doubt because the Panthers had awful defensive personnel. We can't even really complain about that, because the personnel was truly that bad. Coming into this year, the excuses were gone.

Now, injuries have played a role in what Evero has had to work with, but most of the time, it's not the worst issue. Not having Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson is a killer blow, but that wasn't the problem against the Philadelphia Eagles or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Evero doesn't seem to have the right game plan every other week. Today, everyone knew that not having Emeka Egbuka and Baker Mayfield wearing a glove on his throwing hand meant the Buccaneers would run the ball.

Yet, it looked like the Panthers were confused by how much Tampa Bay ran on the first drive, leading to an easy score. Then, the Panthers just refused to adjust. Tampa Bay did whatever they wanted on the ground.

Poor tackling reflects on the coaching. Being out of position does, too. Not having players available is one thing, but having the players on the field out of position or missing easy tackles is another. That's coaching.

At times, it seemed like Evero had turned the corner. But he can't keep the consistency from week to week. Everyone rightfully complained that Bryce Young wasn't consistent from week to week, and he has turned it around.

Because of that, this team has a chance to do something. They have a playoff-level offense, but the defense, which was supposed to be a strength this year, can't figure it out every other week. That is the main reason the Panthers aren't better than they are.

Unfortunately, the Panthers are at a loss here. Does firing the defensive coordinator mid-season fix things? Maybe, maybe not. But something has to change, because the Panthers can't afford to not know what sort of defense they're going to get every time they run out of the tunnel.

This week, it wasn't the absence of Jaelan Phillips, Horn, or Jackson. It was terrible preparation and an unwillingness or inability to adjust.

To be outcoached this badly by Zac Robinson, one of the most maligned coordinators in the NFL, is a tough look. It wasn't even his defiant zone coverage scheme that usually bites the Panthers, which is another issue that has come up a lot during his tenure.