Sportsnaut
The Carolina Panthers spent the offseason promising growth, but Sunday’s opener looked alarmingly familiar. A 26-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars reignited the same questions that have hovered over this franchise for years. From quarterback Bryce Young’s continued struggles to another collapse against the run, Week 1 brought a sobering reminder of how far this team still has to go.
The result leaves Carolina 0-1 to start the season, their eighth straight Week 1 loss. For fans, the sense of déjà vu is palpable. The same issues from 2024 resurfaced, raising doubts about whether 2025 will truly be any different.
Head coach Dave Canales, now in his second year, struck a careful balance. “Disappointed, yes. But encouraged,” he said Monday. His optimism centers on the belief that his roster knows it can play “a really good brand of football.” But the problems that undid the Panthers in Jacksonville are too big to gloss over.
Year 3 was supposed to mark a turning point for Young. Instead, his opener looked like more of the same. The former No. 1 pick completed 18 of 35 passes for just 154 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and lost a fumble, resulting in a brutal 49.0 passer rating
The numbers are damning. Across three career Week 1 starts, Young has seven turnovers to just three touchdowns, with passer ratings under 50 in all of them. His frustrations boiled over in the third quarter after an empty-set fourth-and-1 play at the Jaguars’ 5-yard line ended with an errant throw. Young stormed to the sideline and slammed his helmet, later admitting his body language wasn’t what it should have been.
His receiving corps didn’t do him many favors. Rookie Tetairoa McMillan dropped a potential touchdown grab in the end zone, and Xavier Legette failed to get both feet down on a sideline throw. McMillan led the team with 68 yards on five catches. But excuses won’t change that the Panthers need more consistency from the quarterback they built their franchise around.
If Young’s turnovers were one problem, Carolina’s defense offered another. The Panthers gave up 200 rushing yards to Jacksonville, their seventh straight game allowing 200 or more on the ground dating back to last season. Running back Travis Etienne Jr. did most of the damage, rushing for 143 yards, including a 71-yard burst that exposed missed tackles at every level.
Canales didn’t hide his frustration. “The scheme was there; we gotta get guys down,” he said. “We had a couple tackles for loss available early. We didn’t get the guy to the ground.”
That weakness has become chronic. Under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Carolina has surrendered at least 120 rushing yards in 26 of 35 games. Until the Panthers fix their tackling, and find answers up front, opponents will keep pounding the ball against them.
Beyond turnovers and missed tackles, the Panthers also lost time and rhythm because of poor...
