After a thrilling victory over the Green Bay Packers, the Carolina Panthers followed that wonderful performance with a dismal display of offense. This is a young team that is still learning how to win and win consistently. They did the thing that young teams tend to do: They started to overlook their divisional opponent and rival, the New Orleans Saints. During this week, running back Rico Dowdle had comedian Keegan-Michael Key respond to his viral two-pump celebration. This response gained a lot of buzz and a following for the running back.
But as a team, all week long, the team struggled with focus. According to left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, he saw the signs during this past week’s practice that the Carolina Panthers weren’t going to be sharp on Sunday. According to him, plays were run over and over again. Practices deteriorated so much that Head Coach Dave Canales had to address the team multiple times. However, His message fell on deaf ears, and on Sunday, the poor preparation turned into an embarrassing loss. With a final score of 17-7, the Panthers lost to a team that had only one win in nine games.
Panthers Wake-Up Call: What the Loss to New Orleans Reveals About Carolina’s Future
How the Saints Exposed Carolina’s Weaknesses
The Saints started rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, and he provided a spark for the Saints with his two touchdowns and 282 yards in the air. During the pre-draft process, teams had questions due to his age, time spent sitting on the bench, and injuries. But none of that mattered; he led his team into Bank of America Stadium and won. He earned his first win as a professional quarterback and, by far, his best game. He did an excellent job of giving his teammates chances to make plays.
The standard stars of the Saints also played well. Pro Bowler Alvin Kamara had over 80 yards rushing. Cam Jordan had a big sack to stall Carolina’s drive. Chris Olave had a big Touchdown catch to put New Orleans ahead. This performance clearly showed that the Panthers needed to prepare a lot better and execute the plays the coaches gave them.
The Panthers have clear talent all over the field and have shown a lot of potential, but as young teams tend to do, they lost focus by overlooking their opponent. The offense was only able to score once on the opening drive with Rico Dowdle, and then became a no-show for the rest of the game. This clearly shows that the offensive coaching staff did a good job of setting up their plays, but when things went out of hand or out of script, the offensive players never responded appropriately. Bryce Young threw an interception and did not manage to throw over 125 yards. At the end of the day, the offense needs to get better, and it starts with the head coach.
Leadership and Accountability Under Coach Canales
Coach Canales stated in a press conference after the game, “Really, we just have a standard for how we work, and when it’s not up to standard, it’s my job as the head coach to make sure they’re aware of it. I made them aware of it,” Canales added, “I’ve been in the league for a while now, and I’ve seen, sometimes, you have a bad practice and you play great on Sunday. Sometimes, there’s a fantastic practice and you don’t get the results you want. So I have to look at both things.” Coach Canales is still young and new to the position, but if he sees this, he needs to address it sooner.
All around the league, Canales is viewed very much as a player’s coach. During the game against the Dolphins, Xavier Legette made two big catches to help the Panthers come back and win. Afterwards, in the press conference, Canales became emotional when speaking about Legette, knowing how much he has struggled this season. That is how players know he loves them and truly wants the best for them. For however long the term “players’ coach” has been around, Critics always follow the ‘players’ coach’ label with concerns about being too friendly.
While Coach Canales’ approach clearly shows that his players feel supported and valued, the Panthers’ inconsistencies reveal that leadership will also need to be firm and decisive. Balancing his “players’ coach” style with stronger accountability will be critical if Carolina hopes to improve, maximize its talent, and make a run at the playoffs. I believe that the coach will do this in the future. The team cannot waste reps because you do not get the time back. Days are stacked on, but days cannot be recovered. In the future, hearing his comments, it seems as though this embarrassment will make him address this instantly.
Bryce Young’s Make-or-Break Season
The quarterback, Bryce Young, has shown flashes of success. But there is no way in the world the number one overall pick from two years ago should still be struggling. At times, he is talked about as if he is a third-round pick, with little expectations for his performance and not viewed as an above-level quarterback. With two top picks in the receivers room, an improved offensive line, and a running game that is third in rushing after Week 9, this season is clearly the make-or-break season for Bryce Young. In today’s NFL, the third year of a quarterback is when organizations start to discuss contract extensions and/or replacement moves in hopes of getting ahead of the cap.
Another quarterback from the 2023 NFL Draft has already been replaced. The Colts are flying high with Daniel Jones, who is getting another opportunity to play due to Anthony Richardson’s poor play. Although Richardson hasn’t shown the same level of quarterback play that Young has shown, the Colts understood that the team has pieces to make a run and needed a signal caller to run the offense effectively. The Panthers need to know if Young will be here for the future. An NFL quarterback navigates the chaos that comes his way. The team isn’t going to always have the perfect conditions for you. That is how life goes, you just need to find ways to use the personnel you have. That’s where the question with Bryce Young begins. How much of his struggles are due to the situation around him? How much falls on his own traits as a quarterback?
If things do not work in Carolina, Bryce Young may have success in other places. Ask yourself, what quality made Bryce Young the number one overall pick? When viewing players like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, who both played for the Panthers a few years ago, it was clear they had qualities that stood out and could be built upon. Baker’s arm and mentality are what made him the number one overall pick. Sam Darnold’s size and athleticism made him a clear top-five pick. Once they were able to get into stable organizations, they could actually thrive and succeed with their skills and abilities.
Daniel Jones, this year in the lead for Comeback Player of the Year, has done an excellent job of not only showing that his athleticism is why he was the number six pick, but also that his arm talent has always been there. Remember, he played at Duke under David Cutcliffe, a disciple of the Manning family. He clearly understands what a quarterback does and has shown it.
Bryce Young has the unfortunate trait of being an anticipation thrower. If he’s not throwing with anticipation, his arm talent does not wow you enough to overcome poor anticipation. And do not get me wrong — he has shown a lot of good things this year. But it’s evident that Bryce Young is not a top-10 quarterback. Unfortunately, in this league, if your guy is not a top-10 player, your team needs to be a top-five roster.
The State of the Panthers Moving Forward
The loss to New Orleans should be a wake-up call for the organization. Understanding the gap between potential and performance for Carolina. Despite the flashes of talent across the roster, the Panthers continue to struggle with consistency and execution. Bryce Young remains a work in progress, and while his growth has been steady. It just hasn’t yet translated into results that match his draft pedigree. For a team trying to build an identity, Sunday’s performance served as a reminder that the climb to relevance is rarely smooth and that learning how to win is often harder than winning itself. Due to that, the state of the Panthers is simple:
“Until the quarterback and leadership questions are answered, the Panthers will keep prowling without direction.”
Main Iamge: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images