As the Cleveland Browns prepare for their home opener after upsetting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, the team will look to build some form of a winning streak as the team will host the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers, who were a playoff team last season, earned their first victory of the year after thrashing the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday.
On paper, the Panthers seemed to have marginally improved but are not a team that is primed to make a jump to contender status.
How good are the Panthers?
It’s hard to gauge how good
Carolina is as a team. Last week, the Panthers made light work of the Atlanta Falcons, but the Falcons were starting a journeyman quarterback in Cooper Rush before benching Rush and playing undrafted rookie Jack Strand. The week prior, Carolina was in a shootout with the Chicago Bears as the defense gave up 59 points and over 500 yards of total offense.
It’s hard to gauge how good this team actually is, but considering that the season just started, time will tell. If the team plays like they did last week with the offense and defense playing well, this team could win the division again. However, if they are relying on the offense to get into shootouts, it’s hard to imagine this team can win consistently like that.
QB Bryce Young seems to be figuring it out
When it comes to quarterbacks who have had unfortunate circumstances, quarterback Bryce Young is one of them. Whether it was a coach who originally didn’t want him or the team not putting him in the best position to succeed, it hasn’t been easy for him. However, it seems that he’s figuring it out.
Not bad at all, right?
Young has always had the talent despite the physical limitations, but the lack of a stable offensive infrastructure clearly had an impact on him. The stats say he’s improving, and the tape backs it up. Generating explosive plays, good footwork in the pocket, and you understand why Panthers fans believe that they have their franchise quarterback.
Panthers LB Devin Lloyd has changed Carolina’s defense
One of the biggest weaknesses that the Panthers have had defensively is a quality linebacker. Enter linebacker Devin Lloyd, who missed the first two practices so far this week. The Panthers signing Lloyd was one of the more underrated pickups of free agency. Lloyd made his presence known last week against Atlanta, and the film proves it.
Carolina’s defense has been a weak point for quite some time now, and the team invested their resources in making it better by signing guys like Lloyd and defensive end Jaelan Phillips. The unit looks improved on paper, but the weaknesses are still there. Consistency is the key for this Panthers defense, and it will determine the ceiling of this team.
