Cat Scratch Reader
Hello CSR! Its the bye week, meaning the Panthers do not have a matchup to break down this week. However, that means its a perfect time to do some self reflecting. I’ve brought you the defensive previews each week, and things have changed significantly since the start of the season, sometimes even on a week to week basis. They’ve managed to improve from league worst in 2024 to about middle of the pack in 2025, ranked as the 16th defense in points per game, 18th in yards per game, 14th in red zone scoring percentage, 19th in rushing yards per game, and 16th in passing yards per game. I had optimism for a turnaround by this defense, but paired with some of the awful offensive performances this team has endured, those stats are better than I would have expected. Let’s take a look at how we got here.
The Panthers were dealt a major blow during the off-season, having released presumed starting inside linebacker Josey Jewell due to injury complications. This forced 2024 rookie Trevin Wallace and free agent signing Christian Rozeboom into starting roles immediately, rather than having a more healthy rotation at that position. Other than that, the team started the season relatively healthy. Which started badly, as the Jaguars steamrolled the defense for 200 yards rushing on route to a 26-10 win. The defense seemed out of sorts (three bad turnovers by Bryce Young on offense did not help), and it seemed as though the linebackers were the biggest weakness.
Ejiro Evero also curiously stuck to giving veteran EDGE players DJ Wonnum and Patrick Jones the lion’s share of snaps, despite the team spending 2nd and 3rd round picks on Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen.
While the defense seemed to bounce back in their 2nd game against the Cardinals, their lack of consistent pass rush and inability to generate turnovers was still evident and the team fell 27-22, but at one point the Cardinals went up 27-3 as the offense had to furiously fight back into the game. 0-2 was not ideal.
Many fans were already calling for the head of Ejiro Evero as the defensive coordinator, as the team couldn’t seem to figure out the sum of its parts. They also lost big free agent signing DL Turk Wharton in his very first game, so the defense was already missing one of their best players.
Well, just like we all expected, the Panthers responded by pitching a 30-0 shutout of the Atlanta Falcons, much of which was fueled by the defense. The game plan and scheme frustrated Michael Penix Jr, who threw a pick six to Chau Smith-Wade and another interception to Mike Jackson, who took it back 54 yards but avoided taking that one to the house (for some reason). These turnovers were back breaking, which gave the Panthers their first positive game script on offense.
Unfortunately, the following week the Panthers met the now best team in the AFC,...
