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The Carolina Panthers pushed the Kansas City Chiefs to the brink on Sunday with a furious fourth quarter comeback. The Chiefs overcame Bryce Young’s heroics with some Mahomes magic but the Panthers’ offense has improved since the second-year passer was reinstated as the starting quarterback.
On Monday, Carolina made a move aimed at bolstering the secondary as the team claimed Akayleb Evans, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport on X. Evans adds cornerback depth and plays special teams as well.
The Minnesota Vikings waived Evans in a surprise move prior to Week 12. The third-year defender was selected by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. Minnesota made the difficult decision to release Evans in an effort to create roster space.
The 25-year-old corner will leave the 9-2 Vikings for the 3-8 Panthers. However, Carolina has looked like a better team over the last four weeks. The Panthers benched Young after Week 2, handing the offense over to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. But the team turned back to the sophomore signal caller after Dalton was injured. Carolina has gone 2-2 with Young back under center as he’s managed an impressive turnaround after his benching.
During a five-game losing streak from Week 4 – Week 8 the offense managed a mere 15 points per contest. But over the last three weeks the Panthers’ are putting up 23.3 points per game, which has helped them go 2-1 in that stretch.
While Carolina’s defense ranks 24th against the pass and 29th overall, the team has been stingier of late. During that same five-game losing streak, the Panthers were allowing 35.2 points per game. Over the last three weeks, the team has given up 23 points per contest.
On Sunday, Young nearly forced overtime against the Chiefs. He led a five-play, 49 yard touchdown drive and tied the game at 27-27 on a successful two-point conversion with 1:46 left on the clock. But Patrick Mahomes was able to take the Chiefs 57 yards on seven plays, setting up a game-winning field goal as time expired.
While the Panthers fell just short of beating Kansas City, the team performed far better against the AFC West-leading Chiefs than expected. Young is now firmly entrenched as the team’s starter as head coach Dave Canales confirmed he will be under center again in Week 13.
The Panthers will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home on Sunday. Tampa Bay snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 5-6 on the season with a 30-7 beatdown of the New York Giants.
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