The Carolina Panthers are officially on tilt, having now lost their last three games.
Their latest is a 26-21 defeat to the Denver Broncos, which was a study in many of the things that are wrong with this team right now. Then again, there were also some encouraging signs—including a bounce-back game from their starting quarterback.
Here are our studs and duds from Week 9 . . .
Stud: QB Bryce Young
Like a car that's been sitting in the cold for a couple weeks, Young needed some time to get warmed up. But once he got going, he showed he can still sling the rock the way we saw early this season.
After a couple rough drives, Young settled in and went to work—dicing up Vance Joseph's defense with lasers all over the field. His footwork and poise against pressure was particularly
impressive.
In the end, Young went 28-of-39 for 276 yards, three touchdowns and one pick—which was a freakish accident of an interception in the end zone that wasn't his fault.
Studs: Panthers TEs
Young was particularly effective targeting his tight ends. The best of them was Darren Waller, who made multiple tough catches against tight coverage and totaled a team-high four receptions for 39 yards before the break. Waller scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and finished with a game-high eight catches for 90 yards.
Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans also contributed in the passing game, combining for six catches and 44 yards. Tremble scored his third touchdown of the season, which is a new career high.
Stud: WR Tetairoa McMillan
For most of the game the Panthers' No. 1 wide receiver was held quiet by Denver's tough defense. McMillan came to life in the fourth quarter, though—and wound up posting four catches for 56 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Stud: RB Chuba Hubbard
Perhaps the most under-appreciated running back in the league this year, Hubbard keeps on putting up solid numbers every week.
Today, he posted 79 yards on 16 carries, coming out to just under five yards per attempt. He added another 17 yards on four receptions.
Stud: Run defense
The Broncos don't exactly have an elite rushing attack, but the Panthers did do a good job of limiting their efforts on the ground. They held running back Jonah Coleman to just 57 yards on 17 carries (3.4 yards per tote) and the Broncos, as a whole, to 3.0 yards per attempt.
Dud: Pass rush
Predictably, Carolina's lackluster pass rush was unproductive against Denver's elite offensive line. The Panthers only got to Bo Nix for one sack (from Pat Jones II) and three quarterback hits all afternoon.
Dud: Panthers CBs
The Panthers' cornerback room continues to have issues in coverage in the absences of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson.
Marco Wilson, who had a strong debut against Green Bay 10 days ago, struggled to stay away from the penalties. Corey Thornton, in his first action of the season, was routinely targeted and often beat by the Broncos offense.
Dud: K Ryan Fitzgerald
For an undrafted rookie, Fitzgerald had a pretty spectacular 2025 campaign—connecting on 82.8 percent of his field goals and 90 percent of his extra point attempts. However, this year, he's had a hard time living up to that high standard—coming into Week 9 with five missed extra points.
He'd miss his first field in this one, on a 43-yard attempt. Fitzgerald also helped set up a late first-half field goal for Denver by hitting a kickoff out of bounds.
Dud: HC Dave Canales
Canales was outcoached by Sean Payton, which is no great surprise. What matters more is that Canales has been too slow to address some long-standing problems for this team—such as penalties.
The Panthers, who have been among the most penalized teams this season, lost 119 total yards on 13 flags. This game was extremely winnable—and if the operation had been just a little bit cleaner, Carolina would have come out on top.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Studs and duds from Panthers' Week 9 loss to Broncos
