3 Things We Learned From the Carolina Panthers in Week 10
The Carolina Panthers could not work their magic on Thursday Night Football, losing to the Chicago Bears.
SportsGrid looks at the Panthers through Week 10.
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1. Despite Losing Effort, Panthers Defense Did Their Job
There are many different reasons why the Carolina Panthers lost in Week 10 to the Chicago Bears. It’s hard to lump their entire defense into that pile when you factor in that they limited the damage and only allowed the Bears’ offense to score 16 points. You should expect to win if you hold your opponent to 16 points. The defense’s performance wasn’t perfect regarding individual stats, but the Panthers were without their best pass-rusher and corner. We’ve been impressed with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and it wouldn’t shock us if he eventually finds himself as an NFL head coach.
2. Offense Remains an Issue
You won’t win many football games when your offense scores 13 points. In addition, the offense only created six of those points, with the rest coming from a punt return to the house. The Panthers couldn’t run the football against the Bears, and their offense struggled to move the ball through the air. The Bears have a solid run defense, but with how the Panthers are trying to build this football team, you’d have expected them to win more battles in the trenches. It’s hard to tell what you will get from this offense every week. The Panthers were playing an opponent in the same class as them, so you’d have wanted them to make more of a statement than they did in this matchup. Overall, it was a significant missed opportunity for the Panthers offense.
3. The Panthers May Regret Being All-In on Bryce Young
After Week 10, the Carolina Panthers sit with a top-two draft pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The issue for the Panthers is that they don’t have their first-round selection. That pick was used to help move up in the 2023 NFL draft to select Bryce Young. The Panthers likely expected Young to be better than he’s been in 2023, but the offensive line hasn’t helped him. It’s hardly a perfect situation for this Panthers offense as a unit, let alone for a rookie quarterback to come in and find success. With Drake Maye and Caleb Williams projecting as better pro-style quarterbacks than Young, it’s fair to wonder if the Panthers went all-in in the wrong draft. We’re not ruling out the potential of Young, but we think the Panthers’ approach was semi-short-sighted.
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