Carolina Panthers Week One Recap

To say the Carolina Panthers had an up-and-down season last year would be an understatement. Their games were inconsistent and they only managed a 5-12 record, giving them zero chances of making it to the playoffs. Coming into the 25-26 season, the Panthers set high expectations, and fans were hopeful for a brand new team, but their season-opening performance this past Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars left fans looking into a mirror of last season.  

Going into the game, the odds were close with Jacksonville being the slight favorite.  While the Panthers fought hard, they ultimately lost 26-10.

It was a close first quarter with each team having three points. Both defenses looked strong,  but neither offense could get going. In the second quarter, tight end Hunter Long scored a touchdown for the Jaguars. Shortly after that, a weather delay hit that lasted 76 minutes. After the weather delay, wide receiver  Brian Thomas would score a rushing touchdown, making it 17-3 to end the second quarter. In the third quarter, the Panthers’ defense got it together and held Jacksonville to zero points. But quarterback Bryce Young was struggling, and the Panthers could not get any points on the board either. In the fourth quarter, running back Chuba Hubbard would score a receiving touchdown for the Panthers, but it was too little too late, and they suffered a 26-10 loss to the Jaguars.

The Panthers struggled with executing opportunities on offense. The Panthers had flashes of good football where they were able to drive down the field and be close to scoring, but they would get too aggressive and would go for it on 4th down, leaving the field with no points. 

Bryce Young is a talented quarterback, but his biggest weakness is playing under pressure. There were multiple instances where Bryce Young would be in a tough situation, panic, and make an unforced error. The Panthers are not a bad football team; they show instances of winning football, but they can’t get any momentum, especially on the offense, and end up digging themselves into a hole early in the game. 

What the Carolina Panthers did well in this game was that they picked up good chunks of yards in the run game. The best player on the team currently is easily Chuba Hubbard. Last season, Chubba Hubbard had 1,195 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns; the team needs to utilize him on offense. The defense also looked good by forcing the Jaguars to punt a lot. The Jaguars had some opportunities to score, but the Panthers’ defense held them to just 26 points despite having possession the majority of the game.

The Panthers play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, September 14. If the Panthers want to find success Sunday against the Cardinals, they need to find some momentum on offense and limit their turnovers. A lot of the pressure is on Bryce Young’s shoulders, so if he can perform well in the next game, the Panthers can hopefully find some momentum and ride it into the playoffs.