Monday night may have been a rough watch for Carolina Panthers fans, as their team fell to 0-2 in yet another largely uninspiring loss to yet another divisional foe. But hey, we’re all learning here.
Here are the top takeaways from the 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints:
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Still waiting for takeoff
To be fair, head coach Frank Reich did warn us that his team will be a work-in-progress. And the impressions of that “two-to-four-year project” were extremely evident on Monday night, particularly on offense.
The unit struggled mightily in their second straight outing—amassing just 239 yards, converting on four of their 14 third-down looks and taking until the 1:16 mark of the fourth quarter to finally hit the end zone. Quarterback Bryce Young had another rough go as well—completing 22 of his 33 throws at a paltry average of 4.6 yards per attempt.
On the bright side, Young kept relatively cool for the entirety of the outing. His crisp two-minute drill to close out the start, which resulted in a 75-yard touchdown drive, was pretty encouraging—especially against a stellar Saints defense.
But if the Panthers want to kickstart their offense and really help get their rookie passer going, they’ll have to get more separation out of their receivers and push the ball downfield.
The defense was fine (again)
The Panthers bent, but didn’t really break on the other side of the ball. And unlike the offense, they were good enough at holding up their end of the bargain once again.
Other than having a bit of trouble with Jim Thorpe Taysom Hill, Carolina held New Orleans rushers to 63 yards on 21 carries. They also kept the quarterback who actually throws at bay, limiting Derek Carr to 228 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
Linebacker Frankie Luvu, who continues to emerge as an impact player, bounced back from a forgettable season opener last week. He led the group with nine tackles and a pair of sacks.
. . . but they'll have to dig even deeper
In what’s become another theme to start the campaign, Carolina lost another one of its top defenders.
Linebacker and captain Shaq Thompson, who was carted off the field in the first quarter, sustained what Reich described as a “significant ankle injury.” Per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the 29-year-old is likely to miss the remainder of the campaign.
This comes after the setback for cornerback Jaycee Horn, who went down with a hamstring issue in Week 1. Horn has since been placed on injured reserve and could return at some point.
But, for now, the Panthers will have to make do. Possible replacements for Thompson include Kamu Grugier-Hill, who stepped up on Monday night, and former Pro Bowl Deion Jones—a current member of the practice squad.
