Who stepped up and who stepped off in the Carolina Panthers’ very first win of the 2023 campaign?
Here are the studs and duds from Week 8’s 15-13 victory over the Houston Texans:
Stud: QB Bryce Young
Bryce was cool, calm, collected and clutch in his first NFL win.
This year’s No. 1 overall pick, in outdueling this year’s No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud, completed 22 of his 31 passing attempts for 235 yards and a touchdown. His orchestration of the game-winning 15-play, 86-yard scoring drive helped give the franchise its first come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter since 2018.
Dud: LT Ikem Ekwonu
Young’s performance was even more impressive given the lack of help from his offensive line, most notably from the blindside.
The rookie was sacked six times on the afternoon, with Ekwonu accounting for a good amount of the hits. He was almost routinely beat off the edge by defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who posted a game-high 2.5 sacks.
Stud: WR Adam Thielen
Thielen, as he often has, came through.
The 33-year-old veteran led all pass catchers with eight receptions and 72 receiving yards. None of those grabs, however, were more important than the one on fourth-and-2 in the fourth quarter—where he kept the final drive alive with a clutch 3-yard gain.
Dud: RB Miles Sanders
Sanders wasn’t used much in his return from a shoulder injury. But when he was, nothing came of it.
The big-time free-agent signing totaled zero yards on just two carries, one fewer than third-stringer Raheem Blackshear got.
But, to his credit, he did make a great play by not making a play on that aforementioned fourth-down fourth-quarter conversion by Thielen, pulling back from catching the pass himself.
Stud: LB Frankie Luvu
With his mom in attendance for the first time in his NFL career, Luvu showed out.
He was all over the field for Carolina, as he notched a game-high 12 tackles with a sack.
Dud: TE Hayden Hurst
Hurst had one more drop than he did catches. He had one drop.
Another relatively pricey signing, Hurst has really disappointed thus far. The former first-round pick has totaled 116 yards on 14 grabs through seven games.
Studs: The other rookies
We’ll end on a high and potentially promising note by giving props to the non-Bryce rookies.
Despite an early drop on an absolute dime from his quarterback, wide receiver Jonathan Mingo registered a career-high 62 yards on four receptions. Linebacker DJ Johnson and safety Jammie Robinson, who combined for nine takedowns, also stepped up in their extended playing time.
