"We didn't play good all day, in any phase of the game," Brown said following Sunday's 26-10 loss at Jacksonville. By Mike Kaye
Derrick Brown is no stranger to a locker room scrum following a frustrating loss. Since his first-round selection in the 2020 draft, Brown has been a part of dozens of letdowns during his Carolina Panthers tenure.
Following Sunday’s 26-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field, Brown knew he couldn’t mince words. He had no excuses, and he wasn’t going to publicly throw his coaches or teammates under the bus.
Instead, he basically took the entire team to task.
“I’m going to be honest with y’all, we didn’t play good all day,” Brown said. “In any phase of the game, we didn’t play good enough to win. We know that. So, we are going to sit together and get ready to play Arizona next week. (Expletive), this one is in the past. Going forward, we’re going to get ready and do what we got to do to fix this. It’s behind us now, there’s nothing we can do but talk about it.”
Carolina Panthers safety Tre’Von Moehrig, center looks to assist on a tackle of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby during action on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars defeated the Panthers 26-10. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
While Brown thinks the entire team missed the mark, he refused to place responsibility on the staff. He said the problem is more about the players executing than the coaches preparing them for the game.
“It’s on us, and we know that,” Brown said.
So, how does this team turn itself around?
The Panthers went 5-12 last season after a somewhat promising stretch to end the year. But they also gave up the most points in a 17-game season and allowed more rushing yards than any defense since 1980.
Something needs to change, but Brown says words aren’t the solution.
“We don’t need any more speeches, man,” Brown said. “We need to go put the work in. No speeches are needed. People said things after the game, but like I said, we’re going to go in and get back to work together.”
The Panthers scored just 10 points on Sunday. Their first touchdown of the season came with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, left, stands in the pocket as Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, right, rushes into the pocket during action on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars defeated the Panthers 26-10. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Quarterback Bryce Young threw for 154 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He had three total turnovers and the Jaguars capitalized with 10 points off the first two takeaways.
Head coach Dave Canales’ play calling led to just 121 net yards and three points in the first two quarters.
On defense, coordinator Ejiro Evero’s unit gave up six scoring drives, two touchdowns, 200 rushing yards and 178 passing yards. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence completed a wide-open touchdown pass to tight end Hunter Long in the first quarter. In the second quarter, running back Trevor Etienne carried the ball for a 71-yard jaunt while evading three defenders.
The Panthers looked like the same team that slumped to an 0-2 start last season. And while they opened with a 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints last year, the 16-point loss to the Jaguars was just as disappointing because of the continuity of the roster and the staff.
“I know it feels like, ‘Oh, this is the same Panthers, again’ — we came out and let everybody down,” cornerback Jaycee Horn said. “But we’ve just got to worry about us, stay together as a team, cause we go out there and win next week, people will be saying something different.”
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1), center, rushes for yards against Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott (21), left, and safety Tre'von Moehrig (7) during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Corey Perrine Florida Times-Union
Safety Nick Scott was among the defenders that Etienne eluded on his 71-yard carry. Etienne blew past a diving Scott in the open field and went off to the races before eventually being tackled by linebacker Christian Rozeboom at the 9-yard line.
Scott, a veteran journeyman, took accountability after the loss.
“I think it just comes down to the little things,” Scott said. “I mean, at any level, (if) you want to be a successful defense in this game, you have to be able to stop the run. We did that at times, and had some good spurts, but we had lulls where things were getting out. And we just gotta do — and I’ll just speak for myself in this instance — gotta tackle better. I’ve got a tackle (attempt) that I’d want back. And there’s a couple of guys, I think everybody on that defense can say there’s a tackle or two that they want back.”
In a somber postgame locker room, the Panthers’ veterans took their lumps. There was nothing else for them to do.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Hunter Refrow, left, is unable to maintain control of the ball as Jacksonville Jaguars safety Eric Murray, right, makes the hit during action on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
This isn’t rock bottom. But it is a massive blow to the goodwill the team gained late last season and throughout the offseason.
Most of the players interviewed by The Observer after the game shared the sentiment that this team is more talented and better than last year’s squad. But the reality is onlookers have yet to see that improvement.
“I think we’re just extremely disappointed, just because we really feel like we’ve grown,” Scott said. “And I think everybody really, really wanted to show everybody how much we’ve improved. Cause we are better, we have gotten better, top to bottom, and so when you have such high expectations, and you’re so excited to go out and shock the world, and you don’t get it done, it’s extremely disappointing. And we can sit here and say we’re better all we want, but we haven’t shown anybody yet. So, this is who we are right now.”
The good news for the Panthers is that they have another chance next week, and the week after that, and the week after that. That outlook is worth clinging to, especially as the team shares the belief in their improvement on paper.
Said Horn: “We can only get better from here.”
The Observer’s Alex Zietlow contributed to this story.