The Carolina Panthers didn’t give us much of a story, or at least an interesting one, to kick off the 2024 season. But will the plot twist in Week 2?
Here are the top three storylines for Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers:
Act 2, Scene 2
The Panthers dedicated much of their offseason into giving us a born-again version of quarterback Bryce Young. From hiring a quarterback-friendly head coach in Dave Canales to splurging on interior linemen and a handful of new weapons, Carolina has sought to put the 2023 No. 1 overall pick in a favorable situation—one we didn’t see throughout his disappointing rookie campaign.
But what we saw in the opening scene of Young’s second act looked a lot like the first. In fact, Sunday’s regular-season opener felt more unsettling compared to what we saw from last year.
Young, even despite getting solid pass protection and some more space from his pass catchers, appeared uncomfortable throughout Week 1’s 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints. His footwork, a major point of contention in Year No. 1, and his accuracy were off—resulting in a 43.3-percent completion rate and a pair of interceptions.
So is this just a rough start to his sophomore season or is this who Young really is? Will the fair sun arise or will the envious moon persist?
We’ll see if Sunday breaks any light through yonder window.
Charge!
If nothing else, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is headstrong in his philosophy of the game. And his philosophy, at least on offense, is to run the pigskin off the ball.
They did exactly that last week, lighting up the Las Vegas Raiders for 176 rushing yards on 27 attempts. The talented, but oft-injured J.K. Dobbins was the engine of that hot rod—dashing for 135 of those yards and a touchdown on only 10 carries.
Los Angeles’ charged-up ground attack is lining up to be a devastating shock to the Carolina defense, which allowed 180 rushing yards to New Orleans in Week 1. Oh, and that was with Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown—who has since been shut down for the rest of the season due to a meniscus tear.
Like last week, this could get ugly fast if defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and his unit don’t stand up.
Welcome home
This past Sunday’s loss was easily one of the most upsetting in recent memory for Carolina. In fact, we could go as far as to say it’s the most upsetting defeat since Super Bowl 50.
We weren’t expecting the world out of this team to open the season. While we must be reasonable with a first-year head coach and a lot of new moving parts, was a competitive and exciting game against a middling roster too much to ask for?
Apparently, it was—as the underprepared Panthers were thoroughly thrashed in every phase of the game, from start to finish. And as a result, fans were left tapping out and begging for mercy in Game No. 1 of 17.
What will the energy in Bank of America Stadium be like for their home opener? Are most of the faithful’s hopes already dashed?
