BALTIMORE -- Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera was right when he said the Baltimore Ravens' first touchdown in Sunday's 38-10 loss came on a "fortunate play."
It was fortunate in that former Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith caught a pass tipped by tight end Owen Daniels in full stride, which resulted in a 61-yard touchdown. You might even call it lucky.
But opponents are successfully attacking with great frequency when the Panthers lose containment on the outside -- in the area between the painted numbers and the sideline.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Panthers allowed only four touchdown passes outside the painted numbers the past season. They allowed three in the loss to the Ravens and have surrendered six in the first four games of this season.
Smith had two such TDs in his first meeting with the team that released him in March. The first came because cornerback Melvin White lost containment on the 35-year-old receiver when quarterback Joe Flacco appeared in scramble mode.
That left Smith in position to easily snag the tipped pass and run untouched for the touchdown.
Smith's second touchdown came when White let Smith get behind him on the left sideline. White tried to recover and grabbed Smith by the arm, but No. 89 still made the catch in the end zone.
Baltimore's fourth touchdown came when Carolina cornerback Antoine Cason let wide receiver Torrey Smith get position on him down the left sideline for a 24-yard catch.
That the Panthers (2-2) aren't getting a good pass rush might explain part of this. The longer the quarterback has to throw, the more vulnerable the secondary becomes.
That the Ravens had a lot of third-and-short situations might factor in as well because the defensive backs have to respect the run. Steve Smith's first touchdown came on third-and-2, as did Torrey Smith's.
Third-down efficiency in general was an issue for Carolina, as Baltimore converted 10 of 13.
It could just be coincidence that so many touchdowns have come outside the painted numbers instead of the middle of the field. But as Smith said afterward, he was able to run around the defensive backs -- "boys," he called them -- like "schoolyard kids."
Nobody on Carolina's sideline seemed to have an answer for that, other than they need to study film.
For the Panthers, that's unfortunate.
