Stop if you have read this before. This offseason, Carolina Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan addressed the team’s defense, in particular an ineffective pass rush. In 2023, no team in the league finished with fewer sacks than the Panthers (27). This past season, Carolina finished with 32 quarterback traps—tied for the third-fewest sacks in the NFL.
So there were the free-agent additions of Patrick Jones II (Vikings) and Tershawn Wharton (Chiefs). There were back-to-back selections in April’s draft on edge rushers Nic Scourton (2-Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (3-Mississippi). Add a healthy Derrick Brown, who missed all but one game in 2024, and there was certainly some hope in regards to this front seven putting more pressure on enemy signal-callers.
Derrick Brown
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown (95) looks on in the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
After 12 weeks, the teams with the fewest sacks in the league are the San Francisco 49ers (13), Cincinnati Bengals (15), and…the Carolina Panthers (16). To put that in some kind of perspective, Cleveland Browns’ defensive end Myles Garrett leads the NFL with 18 sacks. As for the Panthers, Brown and Scourton lead the team with three sacks apiece.
This Sunday, Sean McVay’s NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams are in Charlotte. Their veteran quarterback has already thrown 30 touchdown passes and been picked off only twice. Perhaps more significantly, 17-year pro Matthew Stafford has been sacked only 15 times, and he hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 3.
So can coordinator Ejiro Evero’s defense come up with a way to consistently pressure Stafford? The numbers are damning when it comes to the Panthers, who picked up six of those 16 sacks in a Week 7 win over the Jets. All told, Dave Canales’s club has zero sacks in two straight games, and no QB traps in five of their 12 outings. Something dramatic would have to happen this weekend for the Carolina pass rush to break out in a big way.
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