As head coach Frank Reich said after Sunday’s season opener, the Carolina Panthers showed some good and some bad in their loss to the Atlanta Falcons. (Well, maybe more bad considering the result.)
Anyway, let’s go look for it all. Here are our studs and duds from the 24-10 defeat:
Studs: RBs Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard
Save for a fumble, Sanders was solid in his debut for Carolina—rushing for 72 yards on 18 carries. Hubbard was even more efficient, churning out 60 yards on nine totes.
Dud: QB Bryce Young
Like the 14 No. 1 overall picks before him, Young failed to get his squad a win in his first regular-season start. He completed 20 of his 38 passing attempts for 146 yards, a touchdown and a pair of uncharacteristic interceptions.
Stud: TE Hayden Hurst
Hurst led all Panthers pass catchers with 41 yards on five grabs, one of which accounted for their lone end-zone visit of the contest.
Dud: WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
Marshall Jr. couldn’t take advantage of his start in place of an injured DJ Chark, totaling just two catches for 23 yards over six targets. His biggest miss came when he inexplicably slowed down on a deep ball, a beautiful toss from Young that could’ve gone for a huge gain.
Stud: DT Derrick Brown
Brown was an absolute force. He totaled a team-high nine tackles, including a sack and two quarterback hits.
Dud: CB CJ Henderson
After Jaycee Horn went down, the Falcons went at Henderson—picking their way at the former ninth overall pick quite often. He’d be bested by tight end Kyle Pitts on a 34-yard reception, one that helped put the contest out of reach in the fourth quarter.
Stud: OLB Brian Burns
Perhaps Carolina’s star of the afternoon, Burns established himself right from the jump. He picked up his first sack of the season on Atlanta’s opening drive and got in on another with linebacker Frankie Luvu.
The two-time Pro Bowler finished with seven tackles and a forced fumble.
