The Carolina Panthers certainly caught the attention of many within the football world last week, in their wild regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears. And while they did not come out on top in the 59-37 slugfest, the reigning NFC South champions undoubtedly gave us quite a show.
This Sunday, they'll get a chance to jump into the win column here in 2026 against a division rival—hitting the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons. But could this Week 2 matchup be anywhere as close to entertaining as the previous outing?
Here are our top storylines for this weekend's clash between the Panthers and Falcons . . .
BY-Town
One guy who may be particularly excited to travel down to "A-Town" is Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, who has had quite a bit of success
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Last season in Atlanta, Young passed for a franchise-record 448 yards and three touchdowns while leading Carolina to a 30-27 win in overtime. The year prior, also in an overtime victory, the former No. 1 overall pick scored five total touchdowns to close out the 2024 campaign on a high note. Oh, and before he became that No. 1 overall pick, Young—as the starting quarterback for the University of Alabama—threw for 421 yards and scored four times in a triumphant showing in the 2021 SEC championship game.
On Wednesday, Young was asked about his history in that venue.
"It's not something that really enters my mind," he told reporters. "It's all about this week. We have a lot of respect for them—as a team, as a defense. Obviously, this is a division game. There's a lot for us. So, it's all about building that confidence this week, throughout practice and get ready to go out there."
Well, as long as we're in the now, Young's most recent performance was amongst the most encouraging of his four-year career. The Week 1 loss to Chicago saw the 25-year-old toss for 361 yards, his second-highest mark, and hit the end zone four times.
Can he keep it rolling in a stadium that's been incredibly kind to him?
A new WR1?
Many of those 361 yards from Young in Week 1 found the hands of wideout Jalen Coker.
The third-year receiver reeled in eight grabs for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns. Add that line to the one from his previous game, Carolina's wild-card round appearance versus the Los Angeles Rams, and Coker has gone for a combined 17 receptions, 272 receiving yards and three scores in his last two contests.
Last weekend's opener wasn't as kind to the team's top pass catcher, Tetairoa McMillan. The 2025 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year did post a solid 75 yards on five catches, but amassed eight targets to Coker's nine and coughed away a costly fumble at the start of the fourth quarter.
Over their last eight games together, Coker has proved more productive than McMillan—with the former going for 36 receptions, 516 yards and six touchdowns on 43 looks and the latter at 24 receptions for 387 yards and two touchdowns on 40 looks. So, is there a new No. 1 in town?
Maybe not. Perhaps the Bears shifted much of their focus on McMillan, forcing Coker to beat them . . . which he did.
Either way, it's a great problem to have if you're the Panthers—especially when both players are locked down for the next handful of seasons. Just don't be surprised if McMillan, who stacked a career-high 130 receiving yards in the 2025 visit to Atlanta, makes his presence felt again.
Defense
For all the good the Panthers offense did last week under Young and first-year play-caller Brad Idzik, the bad that defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and his unit put on display ultimately stole the headlines.
Under the hood of that 59-point output from Chicago, the most Carolina has ever allowed in a game, were 552 total yards, eight touchdowns and a 71.4-percent success rate (10-of-14) on third down. A lot of that damage was done on the ground, where the Bears tallied 291 yards and six of those scores.
Evero, who noted that his defense wasn't up to snuff in their conditioning, spoke about receiving criticism from the disappointing offering.
"Gotta have it both ways, right?" he said on Thursday. "When things go well, I get a lot of praise. When things don't, I don't.
"And I get that part of it. That's fine. But it doesn't really matter. We have to continue to just find a way to get better, and that's the objective."
Luckily for Evero and the Panthers, they won't be facing one of the NFL's very best offenses this week. Under center on the other side will be veteran Cooper Rush, who passed for 143 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in place of Tua Tagovailoa and/or Michael Penix Jr. last Sunday.
The real challenge, of course, will be running back Bijan Robinson—the NFL's scrimmage yards leader from 2025. In his last four games against the Panthers, Robinson has rushed for 441 yards and six touchdowns.
Can Carolina's defense stop Robinson and company to get the nasty taste of Week 1 out of their mouths?
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Biggest storylines for Panthers vs. Falcons in Week 2
