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[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers 30 Falcons 0: The Panthers defense is the story today in a wild shutout victory

The Panthers were looking for their first win of the season following two depressing losses to start the season. Luckily for them, they faced the Atlanta Falcons, a matchup nobody can ever truly predict! And needless to say, I don’t think many Panthers fans predicted this result. Let’s dive right in!

First Quarter​

The Falcons started the game off hot with several easy completions from Michael Penix. The Panthers rush defense was pretty good, and they managed to hold the first drive in field goal range, which naturally the Falcons kicker missed horrifically, giving the Panthers offense decent starting field position. A couple of completions later, the Panthers were staring at 4th and 3 in decent scoring range, which Dave Canales elected to go for. Surprisingly, instead of the play going bad, Bryce Young hit Tetairoa McMillan for a beautiful 23 yard pass and catch. A 12 yard completion to Tommy Tremble put the Panthers on the 4 yard line, and then Bryce Young scampered in for the touchdown, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead on their first drive on offense! The Panthers then managed a 3 and out after a Falcons clock management snafu, and everything seemed to be going the Panthers way. Until Trevor Etienne muffed the punt return, Falcons took over with nice field position. Luckily, the Panthers defense once again held up, forcing another long field goal. Which the Falcons, once again, missed. The Panthers could not capitalize and were forced to punt as the first quarter winded down. Falcons took over on their own 10.

Second Quarter​

The Falcons managed to get past the 50 yard line again, but two short completions and an incompletion later, they punted for the first time in the game. The Panthers offense took over on their own 13 yard line. They leaned heavily on Tetairoa McMillan and the rushing game, but unfortunately a false start penalty and a missed timing throw by Bryce Young to Hunter Renfrow cut the drive off just as they were getting closer to the RedZone. Rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald nailed a 57 yard field goal to bring the lead to 10-0 for the Panthers. The Falcons took over, leaned on Bijan Robinson, but again were held to a punt after a nice pass deflection by Chau Smith-Wade on 3rd down. A bad looking punt gave the Panthers the ball on their own 31. Unfortunately, a penalty and a trip by Rico Dowdle forced a quick Panthers punt with 1:10 to go. With no timeouts, the Falcons ran out of time to position for a field goal. The Panthers open the second half with the ball.

Third Quarter​

The Panthers first drive ended with a dropped screen pass by Tetairoa McMillan that would have likely seen him hitting paydirt if he could corral it. The Panthers punted to the Falcons with good kick coverage to tackle the returner immediately. However, the Panthers defense once again came up strong, with arguably the biggest play of the year so far. Chau Smith-Wade broke beautifully on a pass from Penix, and took it to the house. Even the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty didn’t matter, as Ryan Fitzgerald nailed a LONG PAT attempt. 17-0. The Falcons tried to get something going on the following drive but were met with a 4th down situation, they elected to go for it. Penix put the ball in the turf for an open receiver, Panthers took over. The Panthers drove it into the redzone after multiple pass attempts to T Mac resulted in defensive pass interference, but the Falcons defense stood with a sack on Bryce Young. Another Fitzgerald field goal brought the score to 20-0 Panthers. The Falcons took over and went into throwing mode, getting into decent scoring position but again were faced with a 4th down decision. They went for it again, and Mike Jackson joined the action with a pick of his own, which would have went for six if Penix didn’t manage to get in his way! Panthers took over around the Falcons 30!

Fourth Quarter​

With a short field, the Panthers drove the ball with several runs and a couple of completions to Ja’Tavion Sanders, unfortunately he came up limping and was taken out following a really big first down play. The Panthers capped off the drive with a rushing touchdown by Rico Dowdle. 27-0. Kirk Cousins came in for the next Falcons drive following another bad fielding of a kickoff by their return team. On 4th down, he threw the ball just outside of Darnell Mooney’s reach. Panthers take over again. The Panthers churned out some clock, but a holding penalty ended up cutting the drive short. Another field goal by Fitzgerald put the Panthers up 30-0. The Falcons went for garbage time yards to try and score, but a forced fumble by Lathan Ransom preserved the shut out! Panthers win!

Final Thoughts​

The Panthers defense showed up in a huge way today. Before the game got completely out of hand, they held the Falcons to field goal attempts, which as always are not a guarantee to score points. The Falcons missed those attempts. They didn’t allow 200 yards rushing, they held Michael Penix to 172 yards passing, 50% of his attempts completed, zero TDs, and 2 interceptions. They didn’t sack him at all, but I don’t think this Panthers defensive unit is going to produce a ton of sacks. But they pressured him enough with some exotic blitz packages, and generally played very technically sound defense. Special shout out to Chau Smith-Wade, obviously he had the pick six, but beyond that he had a nice pass deflections and several great tackles in coverage.

On offense, the Panthers didn’t shoot themselves in the foot. Bryce Young only threw for 121 yards, but he did run one in to start the game off strong. They generally leaned on the running game, threw the ball a lot to Tetairoa McMillan, and did what they needed to. Ryan Fitzgerald nailing every kick he needed to helped, but the bottom line is the Panthers didn’t have the back breaking mistakes on offense that killed them the last two weeks.

I won’t over scrutinize too much beyond these thoughts. The Panthers won, and its on to a beatable Patriots team in Foxborough next week. Thank you all for keeping with us throughout a challenging start to the season, hopefully this is the catalyst for better days ahead. KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...-is-the-story-today-in-a-wild-shutout-victory

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Falcons: Inactives and open game thread

The Carolina Panthers open their home slate for the 2025 season against the Atlanta Falcons. Down 0-2 on the season, the Panthers have the opportunity today to tie the Falcons for second place in the NFC South with a win. That opportunity might seem wishful thinking to some, as most fans are already quite down on the team.

The big news of the morning is that Xavier Legette is joining Tershawn Wharton, and Patrick Jones II as starters that are inactive due to injury. Jimmy Horn, Jr, James Mitchell, and Nick Samac round out the list of players who did not receive a game day jersey this week.

Today has a big sink or tread water feel for Panthers fans hoping for an entertaining season. Words like ‘winning’ and ‘competitive’ feel a long way off, especially with the injuries already beginning to mount on the Panthers perilously thin defense.

This is your open thread to follow along with all the action today.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ga...ers-vs-falcons-inactives-and-open-game-thread

 

[Carolina Panthers]

The Optimist: Panthers narrowly beat Falcons, 30-0

The soon to be 15-2 Carolina Panthers overcame uncharacteristic competence to win their home opener against the Atlanta Falcons. All jokes aside, that was the first game in years that felt good, looked good, and stayed good from start to finish. Just as the first two games were team losses, with key mistakes from across the roster, yesterday was a team win.

The offense, led by a careful Bryce Young, played mistake-free football. Special teams kicked the ball out of the park, with shout outs earned by the coverage teams and by kicker Ryan Fitzgerald. And, perhaps most surprisingly, the defense showed up big. A pick six and the team’s first shut out since 2020 are fitting accolades for the most complete performance Ejiro Evero’s unit has put together since the much maligned defensive coordinator joined the Panthers in 2023.

What I liked​

The offensive line​

Bryce Young had a clean pocket most of the day and made enough of it to keep the Panthers competitive against a flailing Falcons team. The Arizona Cardinals game got off to a horrific start in large part because the line allowed free rushers in Young’s face within moments of the snap, resulting in two turnovers and ten points in the first two minutes.

It was easy to expect something similar against an ascendant Falcons defense and without Robert Hunt and Austin Corbett. Instead, Chandler Zavala and Cade Mays more than held their own in relief. Young repaid the favor by not making bone headed decisions and keeping the ball in the hands of the Panthers.

Young and the offense’s day overall was clean and efficient with only a few missed connections. There were fewer deflating drops, missed passes, and runs for negative yardage than we had seen in the past two weeks. Credit for that starts with the line stepping up. Kudos, once again, to Zavala and Mays for excellent work.

The defensive secondary​

Chau Smith-Wade and Mike Jackson both got their picks. Jaycee Horn dropped a third while making several other splash pass break ups and tackles. Even the safeties stepped up, keeping Bijan Robinson in check and holding their opponent to a second consecutive game under 200 yards rushing.

Yes, we celebrate clearing low bars here.

The front seven controlled the line of scrimmage reasonably well, but applied very little pressure in the passing game and missed what felt like dozens of tackles in the running game. The secondary was able to hold everything together and still pitch the shut out. That’s incredible given what the box score looks like:

Atlanta outgained Carolina by 109 yards today (333-224).

The last team to out gain their opponent by 100+ yards while losing by 30+ in a shutout (reg season + playoffs) was the Miami Dolphins on November 1, 1970 at the Baltimore Colts (+144, 35-0 loss).

— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) September 21, 2025

Ryan Fitzgerald​

Out of six kickoffs, Fitzgerald landed one at the Falcons 12, one at their 9, two as touchbacks, one at their two, and one at their three yard line. He was also perfect kicking on the day with three extra points and field goals of 35, 41, and 57 yards.

The defense should get a lot of credit for how they performed yesterday, but there were two factors outside of their control that made significant contributions to their shut out. One was the offense not forcing them to play from behind the whole day. The other was Fitzgerald doing a great job making sure they Falcons had poor field position.

The open thread​

Fans have been through a lot in the past eight years following the Panthers. It’s no wonder people turned on this team after just two games. Two comments from yesterday’s game thread stood out to me as typifying the Panthers fan experience.

The first, at the start of the second quarter, came from user panthersfan1995:

“I’m having a hard time getting excited by what I’m what I’m seeing. I keep waiting for the Panthers to show up.”

The second, from user JKizzle:

Best game in nearly a decade, and unlike the vast majority of wins we’ve managed…it is early in the season, against a divisional opponent, when we are still alive.

Close em out and lets get out of here

We’re not used to games like this. We’re used to tearing down coaching decisions, quarterback play, tackling efforts and the like as watch opportunity after opportunity get missed en route to a bigger-than-it-should-have-been loss or a narrow win. Beating a divisional rival 30-0 isn’t like that.

We shouldn’t get used to games like this. We all know this isn’t happening again for years, but I’m honestly glad that the open thread and post game thread were largely happy places. It’s good that we can still enjoy these when they come along.

What’s next?​

I’m not going to nitpick a win when they have been so few and far between. We all know the Falcons were bad yesterday. We all know Young did not play a world-beating level of football and that the Panthers edge rushers need some help. All of that may be important in the coming weeks, but right now let’s celebrate the shut out win.

The Carolina Panthers were near universally expected to lose yesterday and, instead, won 30-0 to advance to second place in the NFC South. We’re entering Week 4 still alive for the season for the first time since 2022. Young (and Chau Smith-Wade) and company have out scored their oppponents over the last six quarters 49-7 despite looking like they were operating at 50% of their potential the whole time.

Let’s hang our hopes on the defense getting it’s depth healthy again and playing with a lead a little more often. Let’s hang our hopes on Fitzgerald making more 50+ yard field goals look easy. Let’s hang our hopes on Young locking in the timing of this offense with Hunter Renfrow, Xavier Legette, and Jalen Coler in the weeks to come. Let’s hang our hopes on Tetairoa McMillan still leading the team as a receiver in a game where he had multiple “rookie mistakes.”

Let’s hang our hopes there because those hopes—when nurtured and grown to fruition—will have us watching a team that will be expected to shut out the Falcons 56-0 when the Panthers visit them in Atlanta in Week 12.

Oh, right, I said all jokes aside way back at the start of this. I guess I’m only being partly facetious here. The truth is that the Panthers did this to an actual NFL team. They won’t pitch shut outs every week, but set aside all your caveats and buts. The Falcons looked no worse than the Panthers have on their worst days in recent years. Mistakes may have been made on their end, but they remain an actual NFL team. The Panthers hung thirty points on them in a shutout.

Limiting mistakes, moving the chains, and controlling the clock are reasonable goals for this Panthers team. They are also keys to be competitive in any game, against any team. They might not beat most teams this season, but they could be a heck of a lot more fun to watch than what we saw in the first two weeks.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/general/55902/carolina-panthers-atlanta-falcons-analysis-recap

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Falcons game review: Time to celebrate

The players and coaches may have a 24-hour rule to soak in a victory before moving on to the next opponent, fans are not beholden to any such rule. A good thing, because the high created from a 30 to nothing smackdown on a bitter division rival deserves a few more days of enjoyment. For all the turmoil those who follow the team have suffered the last decade or so, the moments where fans can sit within a moment and savor a dominant victory are few and far between.

Enjoy 30 minutes of us beating the Falcons

NFL+ pic.twitter.com/4f94yakg4N

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 21, 2025

The first 6 quarters of the 2025 season were undeniably rough, but the next 6 quarters that followed have been a revelation of sorts as the Panthers have outscored their opponents by a whopping 42 points. A turnaround like that doesn’t just happen, so let’s take some time to celebrate the elements of the team’s drastic improvement that made the Panthers first notch in the win column possible.

Turnovers​

Anyone who has watched more than 90 seconds of Dave Canales’ press conferences knows how seriously the coach preaches the importance of turnovers – both creating takeaways on defense and limiting giveaways on offense. Sans a poor attempt to field a punt by Trevor Etienne leading to the team’s sole turnover, the Panthers otherwise managed to string together a near perfect game in this department.

Kudos to the Panthers pass defense for snagging 2 interceptions versus a clearly dejected Michael Penix, Jr. Chau Smith-Wade’s pick-6 was the backbreaker for the Falcons and Mike Jackson’s interception on 4th down gave the Panthers 4 interceptions on the season which is nearly half the total from last year (9 in all of 2024) in just 3 games. The Panthers pass defense even came through on two other attempted 4th downs for the Falcons as both balls hit the turf for 2 turnovers on downs.

Took it CHAU the way to the house

: FOX pic.twitter.com/te3OJISzta

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 21, 2025

Perhaps most importantly, Bryce Young and the rest of the Panthers offense came away with a clean sheet in the turnover column after giving up multiple turnovers in each of the first two games that contributed heavily to the team’s slow starts during each contest.

Run defense and tackling​

Before the Falcons ran the ball 7 times for 46 yards on their final drive against the Panthers back-ups, they had been held to 85 yards on 16 carries. Still a respectable yards per carry, but holding the team with arguably the best running back in the NFL to under 100 yards rushing is a win in my book.

In fact, the Falcons might have been better served learning on the run game despite being down by multiple scores for most of the ball game. The Falcons 4.7 yards per pass attempt speaks to the poor performance of the Falcons passing attack, but also to the Panthers consistent effort to fly to the ball to bring down receivers after minimal yard after catch.

Tre’Von Moehrig had a day against Atlanta.

Increasing Latham Ransom’s snaps to let Moehrig to play closer to the LOS while having adequate help behind him was a great move by Evero.

Penix was 8/17 passing for 100 yards and 2 ints when Ransom/Moehrig played together pic.twitter.com/8vmPcGhDkz

— Matt Alquiza (@malquiza8) September 22, 2025

Derrick Brown’s return this season continued to set the tone while the overall improvement of Trevin Wallace and tackling across the secondary from Tre’von Moehrig, Mike Jackson and even the much maligned Nick Scott heavily contributed to limiting explosive plays. They made the Falcons fight for every single yard, and the birds lost that fight often as they never once managed to cross the Panthers 30 yard line on offense.

It is awesome to know that Derrick Brown is the best player on the #Panthers roster because this has been missed for over a year.

Brute force at the POA with excellent dbl team take-ons and gap integrity. pic.twitter.com/WS1ojnFLcA

— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) September 22, 2025

Special Teams ingenuity​

In 2024, the Panthers consistently ranked among the worst special teams units in the NFL. While their kicker at one point was considered the most accurate in NFL history, that was short lived as he finished the season making only 84.6% of field goal attempts and a couple missed extra points tacked on for good measure. With the option to stick with the same group from 2024, the team chose a different path forward.

The Panthers now have rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald who has yet to miss a kick, including a field goal from 57 yards out that tied the Panthers second longest kick of all time. While perfection on field goal attempts is most important, the kicker has also dazzled (as much as a kicker can) with his placement in the landing zone on kickoffs. This year, the Panthers have implemented a new kickoff strategy that seems to have worked wonders as opposing teams have had an average starting field position after kickoffs of 20.7 yards – 2nd lowest in the NFL according to PFF.

Ryan Fitzgerald’s kickoffs were such game-changers yesterday#KeepPounding
pic.twitter.com/dWRZdM723O

— SleeperPanthers (@SleeperCarolina) September 22, 2025

Relish the moment and let us know in the comments which improvement the team made against the Falcons you found important! We’ll see you back here next week after the Panthers try to continue their momentum against the New England Patriots.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...-time-to-celebrate-derrick-brown-dave-canales

 

[Carolina Panthers]

The Scratching Post: 9/22-9/26

Greetings, internet users. Welcome to The Scratching Post.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/the-scratching-post/55907/the-scratching-post-9-22-9-26

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Brian Asks: Finally a positive mailbag!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Asks, part one of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! The first two editions of this column were… not the most fun, but I appreciate all of you participation as always. As I said in the Answers part of the last two weeks, HOPEFULLY a win would allow us to have some more positive discourse. Luckily, the Panthers delivered on that front in their home opener. They shut out the Falcons, played pretty good defense, and won in pretty convincing fashion, even with the usual Panthers miscues and struggles. The comments section of the game recap and the Optimist were great fun! But, we’re onto this week, where the Panthers gear up for a trip to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots on Sunday.

You all know the drill, comment down below with your questions, and I’ll have answers for you later on this week in part two of this column; Brian Answers. You can ask (mostly) any questions you like, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic. Sound off below, and KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/general/55919/brian-asks-finally-a-positive-mailbag

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Anthony Hill Jr

Even though the 2025 NFL season just started, it’s never too early to look ahead toward the 2026 NFL Draft. This weekly series will take a closer look at some of the prospects the Carolina Panthers could select in the 2026 iteration of the Draft. In this series, we’ll only be looking at prospects the Panthers could seriously consider. This week our profile will focus on Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.

Bio​

Hill was a consensus five star prospect out of Texas, consistently ranked in the top 25 overall players in his class. While he had the bona fides on the football field in high school (State Championship in 2020), he also showed incredible overall athleticism as he was part of his high school’s 4x400m relay team that finished second in the state. Hill hit the ground running after committing to the University of Texas. He ended his freshman season with the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American honors. Last season, he continued to demolish opposing offenses despite Texas’ switch to the SEC, earning Second Team All-American honors.

Strengths/Weaknesses​

As referenced above, Hill has insane athleticism. His speed and fluidity in coverage look like those of a safety despite him being listed at 6’3”, 235 lbs. He is able to use that speed and athleticism to create a ton of power in his hits. On top of all the athletic traits you could want, Hill is also insanely impressive under the helmet. He has advanced instincts and processes information at an elite level, allowing him to play even faster that his raw athleticism would suggest. Perhaps his biggest strength is his knack for showing up in big ways on big stages. He always seems to make a huge tackle, sack the opposing quarterback, or force a turnover when his team needs it most against top competition. That knack makes Hill’s transition to the NFL feel like it will be smoother than most.

The vast majority of Hill’s areas to improve in are technique based. Whenever he gets hemmed up by opposing linemen, especially those with longer arms, he tends to get washed out of the play. Better hand placement could help him shed some of those blocks and allow him to really use his raw pass rushing ability to its fullest potential.

Projection​

Hill should absolutely be a top 15 pick in April if he continues his dominance this season. With the Panthers desperately needing a star at linebacker, he should be at the top of their boards. Linebacker has been a bit of a weakness so far this season, and Hill could jump in and start right away. Hill’s versatility could be wasted a bit in the current Panthers defense as his blitzing ability is really an ace up his sleeve. The Panthers don’t normally send their inside linebackers on blitzes, but Evero could have him move to edge on passing downs since he loves to drop his edge rushers into coverage. Either way, the Panthers should definitely be scouting Hill heavily this fall.

What do you think, Panthers fans? If Anthony Hill Jr is available when the Panthers select in the 2026 NFL Draft, should they take him? Sound off in the comments!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...26-nfl-draft-prospect-profile-anthony-hill-jr

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Patriots: Offensive preview

The Carolina Panthers put 30 points on the board this past weekend, but that probably overstates the effectiveness of the offense. Bryce Young and company only averaged 4.1 yards per play, which was below their season average to that point and dropped the Panthers to 30th in the stat for the season. The Falcons have had a good defense so far, and the offense was playing from ahead and trying to grind clock, so that can be explained away a bit, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

This weekend provides an opportunity to push the offense and show that it has more pop than it’s shown so far this season. The New England Patriots are 1-2 and searching for their first home win. They’re coming off a good defensive outing against the corpse of Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, but in the first two weeks they were relatively soft. In total, they’ve allowed 5.8 yards per play, seventh worst in the league, and they rank 27th in defensive DVOA.

That makes this weekend a battle between two units that have underwhelmed thus far. It’s a bad Panthers offense versus a bad Patriots defense. One of those units is going to come away from this weekend feeling better about where they’re at. Here’s what the Panthers can do to make sure it’s them.

• Don’t get hung up on establishing the run. Again, this might seem like a bad idea given the health of Carolina’s offensive line and receivers, but you’ve got to know who your opponent is. The Patriots have been stout at stopping the run despite their generally bad defense. All three opposing starting running backs, Ashton Jeanty, De’Von Achane, and Jaylen Warren, averaged fewer than three yards per carry in their games against the Patriots. Meanwhile, Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa both averaged around 10 yards per pass attempt. Everyone wants to establish the run and assert their dominance, but the Patriots have been significantly more susceptible through the air, even against questionable passing offenses. The Panthers are probably going to need to lean on their own questionable passing offense.
• Generate some explosive plays. The Panthers’ longest play against the Falcons went for 23 yards; it was the wheel route to Tetairoa McMillan on fourth down of the team’s opening drive. The team has been grinding out drives, which is a hard way to survive on a consistent basis. There are injury issues along the offensive line and in the wide receiving group, but the Panthers can still be aggressive if they trust Bryce Young to do so. This Patriots defense has been susceptible to chunk plays in the season’s early going. Tua and Geno combined to go 8-of-10 for 212 yards and a touchdown on balls thrown over 20 yards in the air. Rodgers didn’t throw the ball down the field much but both of his touchdowns came on balls thrown about 15 yards down field. The Panthers need to chase those big plays through the air.
• In conjunction with that, keep Bryce Young protected. For as bad as the Patriots defense has been in coverage, they’ve actually been okay at getting pressure on the quarterback. Harold Landry III and former Panthers great K’Lavon Chaisson are both top 20 for edge rushers in ESPN’s pass rush win rate. Almost Panther Milton Williams rank first in that metric for interior defensive linemen. In all, the Patriots rank tenth in total pass rush win rate, which is somewhat concerning for a beat up offensive line that has been shaky in pass protection.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...hers-vs-patriots-offensive-preview-nfl-week-4

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Patriots: Defensive Preview

The Carolina Panthers defense is coming off its first major positive performance of the 2025 season. After an ugly looking couple of weeks where the offense did the defense very little in terms of favors, the Panthers finally showed us what the defense can look like with even a little bit of support from the offense. Against a Falcons squad that looked primed to beat the snot out of this iteration of the defense, they held Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to a combined 76 yards on 14 carries, as Michael Penix was forced to throw the ball more than the Falcons likely wanted. The Panthers didn’t record any sacks, but they got enough pressure and looked to keep Penix uncomfortable and in turn he made mistakes with his reads and decisions. This week, this unit faces another 2024 rookie QB in Drake Maye, who has played relatively well despite seeing a lot of pressure and sacks throughout 3 games. Let’s dive right in.

• Control the rushing attack again. The Patriots are another team that sports a committee of running backs who will all tote the ball on Sunday. Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson as the veterans are joined by high 2nd round pick, rookie Treveyon Henderson. The Patriots have kept the touches relatively balanced between those 3, though Stevenson and Henderson appear to be the preferred rushing options (when Stevenson isn’t fumbling the ball away, of course). Drake Maye has also been mixed in, rushing 21 times for 87 yards in 3 games. The message here is clear; the Panthers likely will have to deal with all of them on Sunday. While the Patriots have definitely leaned more on the passing game, with about a 60-40 split with rushes, this would be the game for them to try and lean on the rushing attack a bit more. Derrick Brown will need to continue throwing fools around.
• Finish the pressures. While the Panthers pass rush did a much better job of effecting the results of passing plays last week, they still are struggling to actually get hits on the quarterback. Drake Maye has been sacked 12 times since the start of the season, and those negative plays definitely contributed to losing efforts against the Raiders and Steelers, where the offense was in position to take the lead on many occasions. This would be the week for Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen to be unleashed on passing downs. Also watch for Tre’Von Moehrig flying around the backfield as a blitzer.
• Continue to involve the young guys in the secondary. Last week, the Panthers got rookie safety Lathan Ransom a lot more involved with the starters, as he came in to allow Moehrig to play closer to the line of scrimmage where he thrives. Chau Smith-Wade also had himself a career day, as he was targeted several times but managed to make several solid tackles to limit yardage, as well as a pick six and a nice pass deflection. Mike Jackson and Jaycee Horn seem to be having quite a year on the perimeter, but the middle of the defense and the safeties will be challenged. DeMario Douglas, Hunter Henry, and Austin Hooper could all be go-to options for easy completions for Drake Maye. The younger guys will need to step up, especially at linebacker, to keep the positive vibes going.

What are you looking for from the defense this week, Panthers fans?

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...efensive-preview-stats-predictions-nfl-week-4

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Patriots: Week 4 odds

The 1-2 Carolina Panthers showed more than a little life in their stunning 30-0 upset of the Atlanta Falcons. Now in sole command of second place in the NFC South, a little momentum, and a better point differential through three weeks, you’d think they might get a little love from the oddsmakers, right? Not so much.

The 1-2 New England Patriots are still favored to win their Week 4 matchup against the Panthers in Foxboro, Massachusetts this Sunday. This really feels like another case of not wanting to judge two bad teams, so they err on the side of the home team.

Week 4​

Spread​

Panthers: +5.5 (-110)

Patriots: -5.5 (-110)

O/U​

43.5 (-115/-105)

Moneyline​

Panthers: +250

Patriots: -250

Remember that home-field advantage is traditionally accounted for by spotting the home team—New England, in this case—three points on the spread. That means Drake Maye and the Pats would be expected to take this context by a field goal under the current spread.

These odds opened closer to a 4.5-point spread and have shifted more towards the Pats as bets have been placed this week. That means most of the market doesn’t believe in the Panthers team that shut out the Falcons and are expecting something more in line with the team that showed up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season opener.

The above odds were current as of the writing of this post. You can take a look at—and place a bet on—live odds for this game and more here at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/carolina-panthers-odds/55929/panthers-vs-patriots-week-4-odds

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers Injury Report & Transactions – Week 4

The Carolina Panthers front office is busy throughout the season with transactions, roster moves, and injury updates. Here’s what’s happening at Mint Street this week.

Injury Report​

This week’s injury report brings plenty of worry for the Panthers passing game.

Rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the team’s leader in receiving yards, is battling a calf issue and is questionable. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who ranks second on Panthers in receiving yards, is out with an ankle injury. Wide receiver Xavier Legette has had a brutal start to the season and will now miss this game with a hamstring injury.

On the defensive side of the ball, outside linebackers Patrick Jones II and D.J. Wonnum are both out.

Transactions​

It has been a relatively quiet week on the transactions front, which isn’t a bad thing for a team coming off an impressive Week 3 divisional win against the Atlanta Falcons. Stability in the NFL is a rare luxury, so let’s appreciate the relatively calm waters heading into Week 4. Here are the two transactions coming from Carolina’s front office.

Signed WR Dan Chisena to the practice squad

If the name Dan Chisena sounds familiar, it probably should. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound wide receiver is a five-year NFL veteran who appeared in six games for the Panthers in 2024. His NFL career up to this point is pretty extraordinary because he has quite literally been a special teams ace.

Chisena wasn’t selected in the NFL Draft but in 2020 made the Minnesota Vikings roster. He ultimately spent three seasons with the Vikings appearing in 27 games with 496 special teams snaps and just 11 on offense without ever touching the ball. In 2023 he appeared in four games for the Arizona Cardinals playing 53 special teams snaps and just one on offense.

In 2024 he joined the Carolina Panthers and appeared in six games. And — wonder of wonders! — he caught the first three passes of his NFL career for 37 yards. He played 81 special teams snaps and 19 on offense in Carolina last year. The Panthers put him on the PUP list back in July 2025, released him about a week later, and are now bringing him back to the practice squad.

Released DT Tommy Akingbesote from the practice squad

Akingbesote was a 2025 seventh round pick by the Dallas Cowboys, but they released the rookie during roster cuts. The Panthers signed him to their practice squad on September 8th, so his tenure with Carolina lasted just under three weeks.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...28/panthers-injury-report-transactions-week-4

 

[Carolina Panthers]

5 Questions with Pats Pulpit

It’s that time of year again, folks. The Carolina Panthers are hot in the middle of a one-game winning streak with a favorable couple of Weeks ahead of them on their schedule. First up are the New England Patriots. To get the inside scoop on who the 2025 Pats are and why they might be able to stop the Panthers in the middle of one of the most dominant stretches of play in football, I interviewed Taylor Kyles over at Pats Pulpit.

Spoiler alert: Kyles thinks the Pats, behind Drake Maye’s veteran leadership, are going to top the Panthers and their secret weapon, Ryan Fitzgerald.

Let’s start with the big question of the week. What do we expect from Christian Gonalez?

Christian Gonzalez was held out last week as a precaution, but Mike Vrabel says he’s ramping up to play (potentially). Gonzalez suffered a hamstring injury early in training camp and only began practicing last week, so he might need time to shake off the rust. That said, he’s an excellent athlete with great instincts and plenty of confidence.

Hunter Henry and Rhamondre Stevenson seem to be two of Drake Mayes favorite targets. Considering almost half of Maye’s passing yards have come after the catch, is it safe to say that the Patriots don’t exactly have a downfield passing attack?

Oddly enough, it’s actually the opposite. The Patriots lack consistent YAC threats outside of their backfield, and while DeMario Douglas has the ability, he and Drake Maye have struggled to build chemistry. Josh McDaniels has done an excellent job scheming downfield opportunities for Maye, particularly toward Hunter Henry. Still, spotty protection and missed opportunities have left a lot of meat on the bone.

How do Pats fans feel about Maye? Are they sold on him as the long term answer at QB or are they ready to move on?

I think it’s safe to say Drake Maye has been everything Patriots fans hoped for. He struggles with spots of wild inaccuracy and puts himself in bad spots by trying to do too much, but those are largely forgivable for a 23-year-old who started just two seasons in college. Maye’s decision-making and discipline as a scrambler have shown significant improvement since the offseason, and he’s a perfect fit for Josh McDaniels’ adjustment-heavy offense. For a young player, Maye does an incredible job of reading space and leverage while using his eyes to manipulate defenders. Maye locks onto Hunter Henry at times, which contributes to some of the aforementioned missed opportunities, but it’s hard to blame him given the tight end’s consistency. In summary, while he’s still got plenty of room to grow, Maye’s commitment and trajectory have been impressive to watch.

Aside from Gonzalez, which defender’s name are we expecting to hear called on Sunday?

The Patriots’ investment in their defensive front is paying off early, so it’s tough to name one standout. Their pressure numbers have been skewed by quarterbacks throwing quickly, but they’re an opportunistic, veteran group that’s been disruptive against both run and pass. Milton Williams is playing like one of the NFL’s best interior defenders. Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson have made key plays despite seeing consistent chips. Christian Barmore hasn’t returned to his 2023 form after missing most of last season due to blood clots, but he’s a handful and has great instincts. Khyiris Tonga has also outplayed his contract as a rotational player who makes plays on the vast majority of snaps.

Let’s go for a simple win prediction. Who’s walking away on Sunday with the W?

I’m predicting a Patriots win. If the offense protects the football and establishes some semblance of a run game, they should have success attacking the middle through the air. I also think the Panthers’ offense will struggle to move the ball against the Patriots’ defense at full strength. All that said, field position will be a big factor, and New England is well aware of Ryan Fitzgerald’s dirty kicks.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/general/56037/5-questions-with-pats-pulpit

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Brian Answers: Defensive adjustments, must win games, dessert treats, and more!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We got a lot of positive discussion going this week following a much needed victory over the Falcons. Let’s dive right in, and join us next week for YOUR mailbag to ask more questions!

Skizert: How much of this win is attributed to our week 1-2 starters not playing in the third week?

I am guessing you are referencing C Austin Corbett, G Robert Hunt, WR Xavier Legette, and potentially DL Tershawn Wharton?

While I think the snapping of the football at center was a lot better with Cade Mays this week, I think this win more had to do with the team making less back breaking mistakes on offense and the defensive game plan being implemented when the team wasn’t immediately trying to catch up on the scoreboard. I know people rag on Legette, and he himself has said he hasn’t been playing well, but I think a healthy Legette will add something on offense. It might help if he’s more of a complimentary piece and less of a focus as he was in weeks 1 and 2, at least until he gets out of whatever funk this is.

schrodingersblackcat: If the past three games were all you knew about the Panthers, you might draw some odd or surprising conclusions. Which of these conclusions is most ridiculous?

a) Dowdle > Hubbard

b) Mays/Zavala > Corbett/Hunt

c) Our Defense can actually win us games despite holes on the roster

d) Evero might be a good DC

I don’t think Rico Dowdle is a better running back than Chuba Hubbard. I do think they compliment each other quite well, but there’s a reason one is playing on a 4 year extension while the other is playing on a 1 year contract. But the two of them playing significant snaps will help keep one of them from wearing down too fast.

bolshy: How much of our defensive improvement was based on Atlanta’s terrible play?

Well, the Falcons certainly didn’t do themselves any favors, specifically Michael Penix Jr, I would counter by saying how much of Atlanta’s terrible play on offense had to do with the scheming that Ejiro Evero did? He’s managed to get Lathan Ransom involved in the safety rotation as a way to get Tre’Von Moehrig playing closer to the line of scrimmage, which suits his strengths. They dialed up some pressure and blitz packages that had Penix uncomfortable all day. So while the Falcons definitely shot themselves in the foot with missed field goals and missed opportunities, the defense’s ultimate goal is to hold the offense in check as much as possible. Evero’s defense specifically seems to function as a “bend but don’t break” scheme with a little aggression mixed in here and there. The goal of those zone heavy type concepts is you’re hoping for the offense to blink first and make a mistake.

ericbuck: Is Ryan Fitzgerald the greatest Panthers kicker of all time?

Not quite yet, but he’s off to a solid start. It’ll be awhile before he joins John Kasay, Graham Gano, and Olindo Mare atop the kicker Mt. Rushmore in Carolina.

KeepPounding88: Does this one game change your record predictions for us, or is it too small of a sample size to judge anything for the rest of the season?

I think this win brings me back to thinking the Panthers could be playing for .500 or potentially better rather than playing for 5 wins again, which is sadly where my head started to go following week 2. So I’m more-so back to where I was at before the season started.

Bruce Guild: How is Evero adjusting our defense to compensate for the limited ability’s of our ILB? Are safety’s like Ransom being used as hybrid safety/ILB to assist Rozeboom when he is lost? Seems like the D has tightened up against the run the last 6 qtr’s.

The Panthers are mixing in more safeties and defensive backs to take some of the passing responsibility off the ILBs’ plates. We’re still going to see either Christian Rozeboom or Trevin Wallace getting significant snaps (more likely Rozeboom) just because you kind of have to have at least 1 linebacker on the field in most defensive packages, but moving Moehrig closer to the line of scrimmage and playing guys like Chau Smith-Wade in the middle with a few snaps at safety should help out with the middle of the field. Which is what they’ve been doing so far. Luckily, the Panthers have the ever reliable Nick Scott playing as their deep safety to allow for this flexibility.

Shifty Fish: You think Canales learned his lesson about not letting the offense and defense gel in preseason by not even pretending to prepare with our starting units?

I’d like to think he did, but I don’t think anyone can truly know until the 2026 preseason.

Panthers75: Is it just me or does it seem like the secondary can cover? I know they haven’t played world beating QBs yet but the past few seasons every QB seemed like an all pro against them. It feels a little different this season.

The corners are definitely playing much better than fans expected following free agency and the Draft. Kudos to the coaching staff for believing in Mike Jackson and Chau Smith-Wade, they’ve both taken a step forward in year 2 in the scheme. I think tight ends and routes targeting the safeties will still be a problem, but mixing in more of Ransom seems to have helped a bit in that regard.

Revshawn: How much fun was it to be able to sit down and write these articles? Knowing that the Carolina Panthers can win games as long as they play mistake free football and make plays on the other side of the ball has to be a relief.

I told Walker and Jon on Saturday that the Panthers were going to win this game. Normally Jon handles the recaps, but since he apparently has a “life” he couldn’t handle it this week. Panthers games generally go better when I write the recaps. I don’t have the stats but I’ve been doing this for a long time, trust me bro.

Its definitely nice knowing the Panthers can at least be competitive in most games. In the majority of recent years, after the initial new season smell faded, games definitely got to be monotonous knowing we wouldn’t enjoy the product we’d be watching for those next several hours. I hope it lasts. Also, side note, you asked another question later on in this thread. Unfortunately, I cannot answer it.

SwampPanther: After our bye, which two NFC teams will we eliminate en route to our third Super Bowl?

The Packers and the Eagles in the playoffs. They will be forced to award us one of their Super Bowls each, then we go on to fulfill my prophecy from last season, and defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2026 Super Bowl despite a Taylor Swift half time show.

right_turn_clyde: What’s going on with Brady C. this year? I thought he’d get the start WK1 but DC went with Nijman. Predictably, Nijman performed poorly and then wasn’t even active against the Cards. Now that Hunt’s out Zavala gets the start without any mention of a completion for the spot. It seems like he’s just disappeared. Is he regressing, injured or just run afoul of DC?

I can’t really explain why the Panthers chose Nijman over Brady Christensen at the left tackle spot, but I do think Cade Mays is a better fit at center, and BC isn’t as good a right guard as he is at left guard. I think he’s the first guy to slot in at left guard, since his best season as a pro came at that position a couple of years back. I would hope BC gets the shot at left tackle if Ekwonu misses more time. But for now, I think Christensen should be the primary backup at both the left spots on the offensive line.

Jesse_Pinkman: Suggestions on a new nickname for me Brian? I’m a really big fan of the Panthers from Brazil for over 20 years or so. I’m open to some ideas anyway. Cheers

I don’t know if your username is supposed to be a reference to Breaking Bad, but Panthers Blue Sky would be a good fit as an homage to the show! If you know, you know!

DannyLimes: given the pats inability to keep hold of the football how do you feel about our chances to build on the positive game from the defence. Additionally who is your underrated defensive player from these early games.

I think this is a great week for the defense to build on their positive momentum, whether it be in the turnover department or in the pass rush department. I think avoiding turnovers will be a focal point for the Patriots (this is a Mike Vrabel team, who studied right under Bill Belichick), but getting after the quarterback could be more doable this week.

My underrated defender would be between A’Shawn Robinson and Nick Scott. Robinson seems to have stepped right into the role Turk Wharton would have filled the last couple of weeks and done a nice job. Nick Scott seems to be playing as the Panthers deep middle safety in most cover 3 looks, and while I know most Panthers fans dislike him because he’s not a shiny new rookie, so far they’ve mostly avoided big passing plays deep. I fully attribute that to Nick Scott, the uncrowned captain of this defense.‘

Vashti2112: From someone who hasn’t been able to watch much of the games ( and I guess to the board as well).. how does the D-Line look? Specifically, Derek Brown?

The defensive line is playing much better than they did last season. Not a high bar to clear, I know, but they are improving and it absolutely showed last week. Derrick Brown is back to throwing guys around.

Exhibit 1 and exhibit 2 of Derrick Brown being an absolute freak.

Just tossing offensive linemen to the ground like me wrestling my toddler.

Impossible to overstate the impact he’s had on the rushing defense. pic.twitter.com/yFSVhoGgNK

— Matt Alquiza (@malquiza8) September 18, 2025

dayneb12: How would you rate each Panthers rookie draft pick 3 weeks in?

• WR Tetairoa McMillan: A+. The dude is incredible.
• EDGE Nic Scourton: B. You can see he’s progressing every week, just waiting on him to get to the quarterback
• EDGE Princely Umanmielen: C. He’s a designated pass rusher, already has one sack, which have been hard to come by for this defense. Need to see him play more, which isn’t his fault.
• S Lathan Ransom: B-. Again, he’s played well when he gets out there, and this week he finally garnered more snaps. But needs to play more.

I’m going to go with an incomplete grade for the rest, hard to grade them when we’ve barely seen them.

sgtx: Brian, what’s your long term thoughts on Dave Canalas as a head coach? I like him more than most. He seems to get beat down by a bunch of the fan base, but he’s still really new to this (even the play calling). I’d like to see more patience, but I know 10 years of misery has used that up. I think he and the front office are laying a great foundatiom for long term success based on the team leadership principles he mentions in his pressers.

I still like what I see from him. I like that he’s mostly focusing on the big picture as far as the whole team, and really only involving himself with the offense since that’s his bread and butter. The players clearly like him and seem to be bought in with him. I don’t think we’ll see Canales leading the Panthers to a surprise Super Bowl berth next year or the following season, but if he’s still around, he definitely could have this team primed for a much better long term outlook for years to come. I like that he can admit when he’s made a mistake and clearly he’s been learning as he goes.

Bull123: Will Coker be back week 5 for the home game vs the fish?

Since we haven’t really heard any news on that front yet, I’d say no. Typically they’d be at least ramping up his practice work at this juncture if they expect him to play next week. That could change, but with a hamstring injury it makes sense to take it slow.

Chef: Would you consider our next game in Foxboro a “must win”? 2-2 looks quite a bit better than 1-3…

I think its a must win if the Panthers intend to try and challenge for the top of the division, but its not a major backbreaker if they can’t pull out a victory. The Patriots are going to be hurting for a win just as much as the Panthers are.

Kimbersdad: In there physical prime who is stronger. Panthers great Kris Jenkins or Derrick Brown. My vote is Jenkins.

I’d give the edge to Jenkins as well. That dude was hard to block. For reference, Jenkins had 33 bench press reps compared to Brown’s 28 at the combine. Both dudes are monsters though!

LouWillVille: Where is going to be the best spot to post up during the super bowl parade?

At the bar, next to your favorite Panthers fan friend.

Bruce Guild: An ad keeps popping up for Cini Mini’s on the site. They are making me hungry. Are they any good?

They are good, but I would stick with the Bo’Berry biscuit myself.

Thanks for all your participation this week! Enjoy game week, go Panthers, and KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...tments-must-win-games-dessert-treats-and-more

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Reacts Results: Whiplash is real, but so is the despair in Atlanta

All it takes is one dominating win and the bandwagon for the Carolina Panthers starts to fill up again. To be clear, I’m not saying that any fair weather fans have returned to the Carolinas. This is a wagon populated entirely by long suffering fans who are quick to hope because they are tired of everything else.

I think this is a nice amount of fans to have rebounded after last week’s 29% confidence rating. Whose to say that another blowout/shutout combo on the road against a not-great New England Patriots team won’t give us another 40 point bounce in this poll next week. Who’s to say that my understanding of math and grammar don’t have something to do with why I still consider myself a Panthers fan? Fall is, after all, traditionally a season of new beginnings.

For all that Panthers fans have been through a lot over their past decade or so of bad football, we can at least take solace in the fact that we are not alone. Our immediate neighbors to the south have been equally—if not consistently—as bad as our favorite team. That’s we can enjoy poll results from SB Nation and the Falcoholic today:

Let’s give it up for the fans of the Atlanta Falcons. Their Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings saw them post an 89% confidence rating. That 83-point plummet couldn’t have happened without the hard work of each and every Carolina Panther last week and it couldn’t have happened to a fan base that was better prepared for this kind of crushing disappointment.

We may not have much as Panthers fans, but at least we have friends, people of intelligence, neighbors who know rock bottom as well as we do.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ge...lash-is-real-but-so-is-the-despair-in-atlanta

 

[Carolina Panthers]

The Optimist: Title not found

The 2025 Carolina Panthers are officially a bad team. Some things about them are funny. Like how they dominated the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, then lost to the New England Patriots 42-13 in Week 4. That is funny because the Falcons turned around to beat a solid Washington Commanders team 34-27. Given the Panthers second string outscored their first string yesterday 7-6, that means the Falcons came within two points of outscoring the Panthers over two weeks despite losing to them 30-0 in the first week of that period. While some things are funny, nothing is exactly fun.

The Panthers struggled to get any pressure on Drake Maye yesterday just as they struggled to stop the Patriots from pressuring Bryce Young, just as Young struggled to complete passes when he wasn’t under pressure, just as Canales struggled to call plays that were appropriate to the down, distance, and capacity of his team.

It felt bad to watch.

It felt worse because Young pulled the team together for a crisp, methodical touchdown drive on their opening possession. It felt worse because the defense followed up by surrendering two yards on a three-and-out to force a punt. We all had a brief, brilliant moment where we thought the Panthers were picking up where they left off against the Falcons. And then nothing good happened after that.

We have the privilege of clarity right now, small consolation that it is. It is clear that the Panthers are bad. It’s as obvious to you and me as it is to Young, Dave Canales, and David Tepper. It is unfortunately less clear what can be done about that. Injuries have played a significant role in where the Panthers are today, but so too has the in-game decision making of both Young and Canales.

I doubt either will be fired or benched tomorrow. For one, it isn’t obvious that either is entirely the problem, thus it is unclear if their removal would actually change things for the better. For two, neither can be replaced effectively and quickly. For another, Tepper is still trying to rehabilitate his image as a man with an itchy trigger finger. Removing them would be an impulsive move with little result for the 2025 season. There isn’t an obvious head coaching candidate who could right the ship this season just as there isn’t an available quarterback to step up who wouldn’t cost the moon to pry off some other team’s roster.

That said, firing the head coach and benching the quarterback of a 1-3 team that is coming off of a 5-12 season is a legitimate conversation to have. Many fans around the Carolinas and the internet at large are having this conversation right now and it is still September. That sucks.

It isn’t impossible that something clicks in this team and they piece themselves together into a competitive squad. We’ve seen it happen before. We’ve even seen this team look that way from approximately the fourth quarter of the Cardinals game until the sixth minute of the Pats game. It’s just that a bad team having a bad start to the season is so familiar that we all expect that to be the full story.

I don’t know what happens next. I can’t predict what Tepper is going to do anymore than I can say what Canales and Young will actually change in the coming weeks. All I can say is that I’m going to choose to keep watching this team because they are mine. It may be petty, but that feels better to me than having paid $2.275 billion to not be able to watch better football every fall.

Tepper doesn’t look happy AT ALL pic.twitter.com/t5VIvd92XB

— Carolina Blitz (@KeepBlitzin) September 28, 2025

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...-opinion-analysis-new-england-patriots-week-4