The NFL used to have this super convenient way to break the season up. Every team played 16 games, so it was natural to break that up into four quarters, just like you would a singular game. Now, it’s 17 games played across 18 weeks. There’s literally no way to divide 17, but we can divide 18 weeks into three equal segments. Maybe we could even call them periods. They provide nice checkpoints to reflect on how the season’s going and what’s to come in the next segment.
Through six weeks, the Carolina
Panthers sit at 3-2 with a substantial 1.5 game lead in the NFC South, which looks to be its usual mediocre to bad self. The two losses came with some grave concerns for their own distinct reasons, but all three of the wins brought equal of not more reason for optimism.
MY TAKE: I’ve come away from these first six weeks very happy about where the Panthers currently stand. The Bears loss made the defense look like a train wreck, but they’ve gotten back on track since then. It’s possible that it’s an okay unit that got overwhelmed by the weirdness of Week 1. The Browns loss looked like Bryce Young turned back into a pumpkin, but he bounced back with one of the best games of his career while the Browns have gone on to prove that they might be legitimately good, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
The wins over the Falcons and Eagles came against backup quarterbacks, but that doesn’t discredit them. Teams are supposed to comfortably win games against backup quarterbacks. The Panthers are two for two doing that this year. The other win came against Jared Goff and a healthy Lions offense. Bryce Young and the offense won the shootout, and they did so on Sunday Night Football, which has been a house of horrors for the Panthers in the past.
The Panthers set in the drivers seat in the NFC South. Bryce Young is playing like a franchise quarterback, and a good one at that. The defense has steadied after a bad start. And a lot of key players are set to return before the season ends. I don’t see much to complain about.
What say you? How would you grade the Panthers in the first third of the season? Was it better or worse than you would have predicted?
