The Carolina Panthers are still not looking too hot as they opened their preseason with an ugly 17-3 loss to the New England Patriots. Last season, they had the NFL's worst record, finishing with a dismal 2-15, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put the Panthers out of their misery in Week 13. Moreover, last season was the sixth consecutive season where the Panthers failed to make the NFL playoffs. Granted, it's still the preseason, an opportunity for fringe players and rookies to make the team. What does head coach Dave Canales think the Panthers need to turn the corner?
After the game, Canales remained positive.
“First of all, just want to say how excited I was,” Canales said, per ESPN's David Newton on X, formerly Twitter. “Tonight was about our first-time guys, the rookies. The guys that haven't had a chance to play in the NFL and I think what they found is it's just football and they ran. They played hard. We had some great tackling, some great hitting.”
The Panthers' woes continue
First-overall pick Bryce Young didn't play in the Panthers' brutal loss to the Patriots, allowing the rest of the team to get reps against proper competition in lower-stakes games. Despite the loss, the team had a few bright spots. One of them was tight end Jordan Matthews, who caught all three passes from undrafted quarterback Jack Plummer and ran for 48 yards, including a 28-yard stretch.
Another cause for optimism was the great defense from linebacker Eku Leota, who posted two tackles and a quarterback hit, compensating for the team's poor offense. The final score might not reflect it, but the Panthers' defense kept the game close until the Pats blew it wide open in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Young, a Heisman Trophy winner, looks to bounce back from a disappointing rookie season. He threw for 2,877 yards and 11 touchdowns, though he had ten interceptions. As a rookie, he also got sacked 62 times, not exactly the numbers you want from a No. 1 pick and decorated college player.
Still, Bryce Young continues to prepare to quarterback a team with Dave Canales, the previous offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers. In January 2024, the Panthers hired Canales as head coach to help with Young's development, as he had once brought out the best version of Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield. Under Canales, Mayfield posted his best numbers since the 2020 season, and he earned his first-ever trip to the Pro Bowl. Whatever the result of next season, the Panthers should at least avoid finishing with the worst record in the NFL for two years in a row.
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