Well at least there were signs of life, right? The Carolina Panthers offense has put up about six quarters of mostly incompetent football. But of course, the two most competent quarters were the most recent two quarters, which now makes valid the question “have they figured it out?” To be fair, the Cardinals helped out by letting their foot off the gas with a big second half lead. That allowed Bryce Young to get comfortable, and he started wheeling and dealing in the short to intermediate areas of the field
while the defense was protecting against a potential big play.
Whatever momentum the offense picked up in the second half of the loss to the Cardinals will be used to combat a seemingly much improved Atlanta Falcons defense. Through two weeks, they’ve allowed opponents to average just 4.5 yards per play, fourth best in the league. They have seven sacks in those two games, which is fifth best in the league. And that’s come against the Buccaneers and Vikings, who theoretically have better offenses than the Panthers. Atlanta prioritized their pass rush in the offseason, and it seems to be paying off based on the early returns.
Working in the Panthers favor is the fact that this is the team’s home opener, though fan support might not be stellar given the fourth straight 0-2 start to a season. Also it’s only been two weeks, so we don’t really know what’s real yet. We do have a couple of data points to analyze, so let’s see what they suggest the Panthers need to do on Sunday to get their first win.
- Keep Bryce Young protected. The Panthers have been dealt some offensive line trouble in the first two weeks of the season. Robert Hunt and Austin Corbett both left the loss to Arizona on Sunday with significant injuries that will likely keep them out for most if not all of the rest of the season. The Falcons have done a good job of getting pressure from the interior and on the blitz, which is a worrying fact for a Panthers team trying to find continuity and talent on the offensive line. Young may have to make a lot of plays out of structure to keep the offense moving.
- Try to stretch the field. Bryce Young currently has the shortest longest completion of the year in terms of air yards this season. He is the only quarterback in the NFL to have not completed a ball that traveled at least 30 yards in the air. While the overall depth of target has been bad but not terrible, it’s having a noticeable effect on the spacing of the offense. There hasn’t been much room to run, and the middle of the field in the passing game is crowded and dangerous. It may be hard to find the time to let longer routes develop, but the Panthers have to try to find a way to stretch out opposing defenses.
- Xavier Legette, please show up. The second year wide receiver has put forth an absolutely stunning stat line through two games, turning 15 targets into four catches for eight yards. It’s not all on him, but at a certain point, good players need to be able to create easy plays, and he’s not doing that. He’s also manufactured nothing out of the touches that were manufactured for him. And now he’s popped up with yet another injury, this time with his hamstring. He seems to be good to go for Sunday, and his coaches and teammates are all saying the right things, but at some point we need to see something out of him on Sundays.
- Keep throwing the ball to Tetairoa McMillan. McMillan has been exactly what the Panthers hoped to get when they made him the eighth pick in last May’s draft. If nothing else, watching a bunch of balls get thrown his way will make the game entertaining. He’s been a joy to watch so far.
