I gave strong consideration to just publishing a gif of Lucy pulling up the football today. I’m far from the only person who considered that in the Panthers sphere and I’m far from the only fan who feels like that today. Tyler Shough stepped up again, Jaycee Horn fell down again, and Bryce Young failed to make an impact again en route to another momentous loss for the Carolina Panthers.
This is going to be a short section today. The Panthers have lost a league-leading seven consecutive games in which they have been favored, stretching back to 2021. Today sucks, but yesterday isn’t a full picture of who the Carolina Panthers are right now. It is a reminder of what they are rebuilding from, not a condemnation of the rebuilding process they are still very much in.
Jalen Coker – Extremely Optimistic
The kid knows how to get open, he’s quick, and he’s a major contributor in the running game as a blocker. He’s everything you want to see as a wide receiver and should give future Panthers quarterbacks plenty to work with between himself and the recently absent Tetairoa McMillan.
Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle – Somewhat Optimistic
The Panthers finally have both of their tailbacks running with burst and violence behind a relatively healthy offensive line. Dave Canales also seems to have finally sorted out a more effective rotation than “by series.” This is your only source of offensive hope against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who don’t have nearly as stout of a defense, somehow, as the Saints do.
Chau Smith-Wade’s strategic penalty
A pre-snap penalty by Smith-Wade erased an early fourth quarter field goal by the Saints and, ultimately, lured them into a turnover on downs. This was going to be a hilarious sequence in a narrow victory right up until the Panthers only gained 11 yards and zero points in the rest of the game against the Saints’ 140 yards and ten points.
Still, this is a silly place and we do celebrate silly things. Everybody give a half-hearted huzzah.
What I didn’t like. . .
It’s hard to pick favorites here, because boy, howdy, I didn’t like much of anything last night. So let’s pick only on the major things that led to the loss.
Canales has come a long way as a situational play caller since the start of the season, but this was another clear failure of both process, design, and roster. Not going for the field goal in a low scoring game was a mistake. A hand off up the middle was a mistake.
Let’s pretend to accept that a quarterback sneak was not viable with the Panthers quarterback and even further pretend that such a weakness was a contributing factor to the team’s loss, it is just plain stupid to run into the teeth of a bunched up defensive formation in a high leverage situation. If you want a play that takes longer to develop than a QB sneak then run a roll out pass, a stretch play, even a flea-flicker. Take advantage of the defense’s compressed formation.
I still like Canales overall, but not taking points after an 11-play, 32-yard, six minute drive in this tight of a game was a critical mistake.
Canales finally stuck to the script that was supposed to allow Young to thrive. They based themselves on a relatively successful running game that kept them ahead of the sticks on most drives in the first half. However, the Panthers only scored a touchdown on one drive where they fell behind the sticks. That was Young’s beautiful 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker on second and 11. It was also Young’s only passing highlight.
Stepping up and finding success once per game is not going to cut it. The Panthers are technically still in the hunt for the playoffs. There are even decent odds they can make them, given the current state of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is absolutely no way that they can do anything once they are there with this standard of quarterback play.
Young may be admirable for his ability to keep a level head despite his ups and downs. Plenty of players are unable to do that. Plenty of players are also able to be successful at their jobs in spite of their emotions, and the one thing Young cannot be described as is successful.
This was a game without an obvious mistake from Young. He had zero turnovers. He still led an offense that was 7/14 on third down and scored on fewer than half of their possessions. Every failed Panthers possession yesterday fell apart because of Young’s inability or unwillingness to complete routine passes downfield or even past the sticks in short yardage situations. Either is damning.
Even if he picks up his production in the final three weeks, the Panthers need to look hard into competitive options at quarterback for 2026.
The Panthers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks at home in back-to-back weeks. The NFC South title is still up for grabs and neither of the two contenders look like they want it. Both are 2-2 in the division and the title will come down to whoever wins the series between the Panthers and the Bucs.
The Panthers won’t be favored in either of their remaining home games, which gives them their best chance at winning them. What will actually happen and which Panthers team will show up is anybody’s guess at this point.
Let’s all take a deep breath and wait to see what happens this week. There are only three weeks left in the season and I guarantee you the Panthers will confound at least some of our expectations. Look for them to fall somewhere in the middle between the team that beat the Rams and the one that got swept by the Saints.