Bank of America Stadium will play host to a rather intriguing cat fight on Sunday.
The 0-3 Cincinnati Bengals, an AFC favorite just a few short weeks ago, are attempting to save their season while the 1-2 Carolina Panthers, who faced very little expectations, have seemingly just revived theirs.
So as the claws get closer to coming out, let’s look at the biggest storylines heading into this Week 4 matchup . . .
Cool Cat
Carolina’s aforementioned revival was sparked by quarterback Andy Dalton, who made his first start since replacing 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. The 14th-year veteran kickstarted the offense in a cool and collected performance—as he completed 26 of his 37 throws for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers.
Dalton’s veteran presence brought some much-needed stability under center, where the 23-year-old Young faltered to begin his sophomore campaign. The Panthers, for the first time since 2022, hit the 400-yard mark while successfully converting five third-down tries—three more than the unit amassed in Young’s two starts combined.
Will Dalton be able to keep the offense and the good vibes going?
Oh! And you may have heard this a time or two over the past few days, but Dalton kinda sorta played for the Bengals earlier in his NFL career. So, yeah, that seems somewhat pertinent as well.
Scratched
Much of Dalton’s success min Week 3 can be attributed to his offensive line, which has been one of the league’s most reliable in pass protection thus far. (Didn’t think you’d be reading that about a Carolina Panthers offensive line, did you?)
The group, however, will be without starting left guard Damien Lewis—who will sit out due to his UCL tear. Lewis, like his fellow hog mollies, has shined to start the season—as his 80.9 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus ranks sixth amongst all guards.
There’s also a chance that Carolina may not have starting right guard Robert Hunt either. Hunt did not finish practice on Friday due to a hip injury and is listed as questionable.
Second-year lineman and 2024 fourth-round pick Chandler Zavala, like he did for 22 snaps in the Week 3 win, will take over for Lewis. And if Hunt cannot go, the versatile Brady Christensen would be in his stead.
With the offense getting on track behind Dalton and looking to further establish the run behind a hot Chuba Hubbard, Zavala (and perhaps Christensen) must step up to keep the machine moving.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
If you were told prior to the season that one of these two teams would be winless heading into their Week 4 matchup, we’re willing to bet that you didn’t think it’d be the Bengals.
Well, it is indeed the Bengals—and they’re one loss away from essentially ending their season. There’s only one team in NFL history (the 1992 San Diego Chargers) that made the postseason after starting 0-4, so the situation is extremely dire.
Unbelievably enough, the Panthers have a chance to bury these cats in their backyard on Sunday.
