Tonight may be a different story, but the Carolina Panthers didn’t have anything to celebrate on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the 26-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars:
Bryce Young experiences a low low
Young may have felt as good as he ever has entering New Year’s Eve, at least as an NFL quarterback. Before breaking the 300-yard mark for the first time in his career last week, he led a hard-fought walk-off win against a division rival the outing prior.
Unfortunately, the vibes deteriorated in a big way.
The No. 1 overall pick completed 19 of his 32 throws for 112 yards, a 200-yard drop-off from last Sunday, and an interception while eating six sacks. He also had to play out nine of Carolina’s 10 possessions with what couldn’t have been a fully healthy back.
As a whole, the punchless offense headlined the franchise’s first shutout loss since 2002. They amassed 124 total yards, converted on only one of their 13 third-down attempts and picked up just seven first downs.
Once again, the rookie’s help—from his crumbling offensive line to his unreliable pass catchers—wouldn’t prove to be much help at all. But there’s no doubt that Young himself was simply not good enough today.
Ikem Ekwonu's play continues to raise concerns
Not only did the Panthers get a rough performance out of the player they hope to be their franchise quarterback, but they got an even worse one out of the one who they hope to be their franchise left tackle.
Ekwonu was responsible for much of the pressure Young faced on Sunday. The 2022 sixth overall pick was routinely beat by Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen, who continued his career campaign with a game-high 3.0 sacks.
If Ekwonu continues to be a liability in pass protection, he may not be long for the edge. And if the Panthers are interested in accentuating his strengths and muting his big weakness, they may have to consider bumping him to the inside come 2024.
The defense still can't stop the run
With the Trevor Lawrence-less Jaguars entering Sunday on a four-game losing streak, the Panthers defense had a seemingly tasty opportunity ahead of them. But it was only sour.
Despite their admirable efforts throughout this bumpy campaign, the unit has regularly struggled to stop the run. That continued into Week 17, where running back Travis Etienne paced the undermanned Jacksonville offense with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
So, no, Carolina couldn’t cash in on a C.J. Beathard start.
