This new era of Carolina Panthers football was left waiting on its first win for the fifth straight week, as a 42-24 loss sent them to an early 0-5 mark.
Nonetheless, let’s try to find some studs to go along with the duds from Sunday’s defeat to the Detroit Lions.
Stud: Adam Thielen
The 33-year-old wonder left us in amazement once again, notching game-highs in receptions (11) and receiving yards (107) while making his third trip the end zone in 2023. He’s now gone for 328 yards and two touchdowns over his last three games.
Dud: First three quarters Bryce Young
The Bryce Young from Sunday’s first three quarters may have been the worst version of the No. 1 overall pick we’ve seen yet. He threw a pair of interceptions—both of which he, of course, took the blame for—and got his offense into the end zone just once.
Overwhelmed and over-pressured, the rookie almost appeared to be taking a step back in his fourth career outing.
Stud: Garbage time Bryce Young
Young, however, was able to salvage what was left of another largely shaky start.
The 22-year-old bounced back and kept his offense moving in the fourth quarter, orchestrating a pair of 75-yard touchdown drives. He completed nine of his 12 throws on those last two possessions for 101 yards—with an 18-yard score to wideout DJ Chark and a 1-yard score to Thielen.
Dud: Miles Sanders
If Sanders didn’t think the jeers from Panthers fans last week were cool, well, he didn’t do much to stop them on Sunday.
He didn’t get a lot of work, running for 32 yards on seven takes, and coughed up his second fumble of the season. Through five games, Carolina’s big free-agent signing has rushed for just 190 yards over 61 carries (3.1 yards per carry).
Stud: Sam Franklin Jr.
The Panthers didn’t see much success on the other side of the ball either. Plus, the three turnovers from the offense—which led to three Detroit touchdowns—didn’t exactly help.
But Franklin, in his second consecutive start in place of an injured Xavier Woods, roughed it out and never showed an ounce of quit. He recorded eight tackles, seven of which registered as solo takedowns.
Dud: Run defense
With Carolina’s run defense facing questions heading in, they couldn’t have been looking forward to facing the dominant Detroit ground game. And, uh, it may have showed.
The duo of workhorse David Montgomery and Craig Reynolds combined for 161 yards and two touchdowns on 28 attempts. That’s a juicy average of 5.8 yards per tote.
