Panthers look for answers after loss to Bears

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — For the first time in four years, the Carolina Panthers woke up after a season opener not having to worry about a concerning performance from quarterback Bryce Young.

Their defense is another story.

Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome a pathetic showing from the Panthers defense, which allowed eight touchdowns and 552 yards in a 57-39 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

It was the most points allowed by the Panthers in their 32-year history.

The Bears scored two touchdowns in every quarter and had eight plays of 20 yards or longer.

That forced third-year coach Dave Canales to have some hard conversations with his staff.

Canales said Monday after watching game film that the Panthers played hard, but “playing smart — that’s where we fell short” referring to the team’s 11 penalties, three turnovers and overall mental blunders on assignments.

“As a coaching staff we have to take responsibility of not just putting it on the coaching staff for execution, but what did our plan look like?” Canales said. “Did we have too little? Did we have too much? We have to ask all of those questions so we can get our guys executing at a high level.”

Canales said he still likes defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 scheme and feels good about the personnel the team has on hand, even after injuries to outside linebackers Nic Scourton and Patrick Jones.

“I have seen this scheme work at a high level,” Canales said.

But he said the defense won’t work if the players aren’t playing together and don’t develop a trust in one another and the scheme.

“We have to be really connected on the front seven to make sure a lot of the runs are getting bottlenecked into the alleys,” Canales said.

What’s working

Any concerns about Chuba Hubbard’s hold on the starting job with Jonathon Brooks now healthy were alleviated when Hubbard ran for 49 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and caught three passes for 38 yards and another score on Sunday. Hubbard looked fast, strong and confident. He played 71% of the team’s offensive snaps, while Brooks played 19%.

Brooks worked as a change-of-pace back and ran four times for 14 yards and hauled in 48-yard reception.

What needs help

Caleb Williams’ ability to get out of the pocket and make plays with his feet might have exposed a major area of concern for the Panthers 3-4 defense — especially when facing mobile QBs moving forward. Time and time again Williams made plays with his arm and his legs after breaking containment. He ran for touchdowns of 29 and 9 yards and also found open receivers outside pocket.

Overall, the Panthers allowed 291 yards on the ground — the third-most yards ever — and a franchise-record six touchdowns rushing. Chicago averaged 7.5 yards per carry.

Next steps

The good news for the Panthers is that all four NFC South teams lost, so the defending champions didn’t lose any ground in the division. They have a chance to rebound when they visit the Falcons on Sunday.

Tags: