RSS Panthers Team Notes

[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

 

[Carolina Panthers]

The Scratching Post: 9/29-10/3

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/56039/the-scratching-post-9-29-10-3

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers 13 Patriots 42: Here we go again

The Carolina Panthers reverted to their substandard level of play and were blown out by the New England Patriots, 42-13.

First Quarter​

Bryce Young completed a pass to David Moore in the flat to get the game started, and Moore was tackled awkwardly and immediately forced to leave the game. The offense was still able to keep its rhythm though, as Young completed all four of his pass attempts to four different receivers. The last of those was a ball over the top to Tommy Tremble from just inside the ten for a Panthers touchdown. Ryan Fitzgerald shtoinked the extra point off the left upright to keep the score 60

The defense carried their momentum from last week and stifled the Patriots on the first drive. They forced a three and out to get the ball back for the offense. Young kept up his completion streak for a few more passes before the drive stalled out around midfield. The Panthers punted and seemed to be caught off guard by the lack of a fair catch at the ten yard line. The first tackler missed and everyone else was scattered, leaving no one near the returner and let him run 87 yards for the touchdown. Their kicker made his extra point to put the Patriots on top.

Rico Dowdle responded with a slashing kickoff return out to the 40 yard line and then picked up a first down on a toss a few plays later. The Panthers crossed midfield, but again stalled out there. Young threw behind an open Tetairoa McMillan on third down that would have at least moved the Panthers into field goal range, so they had to settle for a punt that bounced into the end zone.

The defense no longer had the momentum from the week prior on the ensuing drive. They let the Patriots pick up huge chunks of yardage on three plays that were all either handoffs or screen passes. The quarter ended with the Patriots inside the five.

Second Quarter​

Drake Maye rolled out off play action on the first play of the second quarter and had no resistance running into the end zone. The Panthers took over on offense needing to make something happen. They once again moved over midfield but couldn’t make anything happen from there. Young fell down trying to escape pressure which took the Panthers out of field goal range. They tried a field goal anyway, but Fitzgerald’s 55 yard field goal came up short.

Maye hit Diggs on a big pass play to get the Patriots back inside the 10, but a somewhat questionable facemask penalty on the Patriots backed them up to 1st and goal from the 25. The Panthers returned the favor with a Nick Scott tripping penalty to give New England a free first down. They took the extra opportunity and punched in their third touchdown of the game with a handoff to TreVeyon Henderson. The Panthers did nothing on offense again and had to punt back to a now unstoppable Patriots team that got another big return back into the red zone. It took just four plays for the Patriots to go up 28-6.

The Panthers tried to get one more scoring drive before the half, but it again short circuited before it got started. Young had one play where the pocket parted and gave him room to scramble, maybe even for a first down on 2nd and 10, but he inexplicably threw the ball away at his receiver’s feet just as he got to the line of scrimmage. Another incomplete pass forced a Panthers punt, but this time Sam Martin was able to coffin corner it at the one yard line despite almost having the punt blocked.

The defense did stuff the Patriots three times and force a punt, but there were only two seconds left by the time Hunter Renfrow was tackled. The Panthers tried to set up a convoy for Tommy Tremble, but an offensive lineman got downfield too early and the half ended.

Third Quarter​

The Panthers needed a stop coming out of the half to get on track, and they did not get one. The Patriots picked up a 3rd and 15 as part of another scoring drive that featured several chunk plays. It was off by a catch and run from Hunter Henry down the sideline. He should’ve been pushed out, but Chau Smith-Wade elected to try a drive-by punch out instead and whiffed.

The offense once again was able to manufacture a drive that crossed midfield with a lot of help from Chub Hubbard, and once again it couldn’t get past that point. McMillan made a highlight catch on a back shoulder fade down the sideline, but that was just about the last good thing to happen on the drive. Carolina ended up in a 4th and 5, but Young overthrew a rather open McMillan down the sideline to turn the ball over on down. The defense held against a conservative Patriots offense to force a punt.

Trevor Etienne, who muffed a punt last week, tried to field the punt inside the five and was brought down immediately at the one. Chuba Hubbard got five yards on a first down carry, but that was the only productive play of the drive. Young threw a quick pass for a couple yards to Brycen Tremayne, and then, after a penalty, threw the ball away seemingly immediately after receiving the snap on third down. The Patriots returned the punt back into Panthers territory and set themselves up inside the 10 with a long pass to Stefon Diggs as the quarter ended.

Fourth Quarter​

Why are you still reading this?

The Patriots scored on third down after Mack Hollins beat Christian Rozeboom (who was getting beat pretty consistently on the day) on a slant from the five.

I bet you can’t guess what the offense did. They drove out just past midfield and then stalled out. Young threw the ball to I don’t know who and it landed in wide open space without a receiver near by on fourth down to give the ball back to New England. That essentially ended the game as both teams put in their backup quarterbacks. Mitchell Evans did catch his first career touchdown pass from Andy Dalton in garbage time.

Overview​

For as good as last week was, this week was that bad and then some. The offense looked completely incompetent outside of the first drive. Bryce Young looked scattered, unconfident, and flustered. After completing his first six passes, he looked like rookie Bryce that couldn’t push the ball down the field or handle the speed of the game happening around him.

That said, Young, was far from the only problem. The offensive line struggled with a good Patriots front. The defensive line caused absolutely no disruption in either the run or pass game and the second line of defense was overmatched by whoever had the ball in space for New England. The special teams were abysmal between Fitzgerald’s missed kicks, the punt coverage teams lack of discipline and tackling, and Etienne’s fielding of a punt inside the five.

It was a colossal failure in all elements of the game. The Panthers simply have too many weaknesses all across the roster to compete consistently. Next week is a Dolphins game, which at least provides an opportunity for a bounce back.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...england-patriots-final-score-results-analysis

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Patriots game review: Consistently inconsistent

Trying to understand the Carolina Panthers is a fool’s errand in that the less effort you make to understand them, the better off you’ll be. In this week’s Optimist, Walker described being a fan of the Panthers as a “senseless act of hope”, which is the perfect way to describe it.

Whenever the Panthers show you one thing, there’s little to no chance you’ll see it again next week. One week, they’ll perform better and you start to think they figured it out and have started heading in the right direction. The next week, well, the game we saw on Sunday happens. Sadly, the Panthers—over the entirety of the franchise’s history—have provided more than enough evidence that this is who they are.

It’s maddening. Play-by-play, game-by-game and season-by-season… it doesn’t matter. It always feels like a crapshoot on what you are going to witness. Something positive rarely begets another positive moment – more often than not, it usually proceeds something devastatingly negative. If they score a touchdown, they’ll miss the extra point. If they get past the 50 yard line, they’ll still end up punting. If they’ve been one of the best kickoff/punt coverage units for the first 3 weeks, they’ll give up 50 yards a return once they start getting some praise. If they win by 30 one week, they’ll lose by 30 the next. They have a winning season, you can bet your mortgage they’ll have a losing season the next.

If there is one constant, it’s that the Panthers are perpetually inconsistent.

Nevertheless, we will still show up again next week hoping for something different. Hoping for ‘it’ to finally click. If the current regime is going to dig themselves out of this hole, they’ll have to make something happen soon and keep it going.

Keeping with the theme of inconsistency, let’s take a look at all the aspects of the Panthers’ devastating defeat to the New England Patriots that will need to be better if the Panthers are to have any sustained success the rest of the season:

• Special teams coverage units cannot hemorrhage multiple explosive returns a game
• Returners cannot be muffing footballs or fielding punts at the 5 yard line
• Bryce Young has to connect with receivers when they are open
• Receivers have to catch the ball when it hits their hands
• Receivers need to actually be on the field; having only 3 healthy receivers on the field is not going to cut it
• The starting right guard cannot have a 0.0 pass blocking grade according to PFF
• The back-up right guard cannot have a 22.8 pass blocking grade according to PFF
• The offensive line cannot give up a pressure on 50% of snaps
• The running backs cannot have only 15 rushing attempts before being down 35-6
• Defense has to secure the tackle before trying to force a turnover
• Defense has to have more than 2 pressures a game from the Edge rushers
• Linebackers actually have to back-up the defensive line

I could go on, but I have a feeling that you, dear reader, have a few more you’d like to contribute. Feel free to drop your own in the comment section down below.

It’s not rocket science, and it’s a shame any of that even needs to be said – but after that Week 4 performance, I’m not going to chance leaving anything up for confusion. Here’s hoping for a better Week 5 as the Panthers take on the Miami Dolphins.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...atriots-game-review-consistently-inconsistent

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Brian Asks: Welp

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Asks, part one of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! The last couple of weeks have been a series of extremes, as the Panthers defeated the Falcons 30-0 last week, and then were promptly squashed 42-13 by the Patriots this past week. This has led to a major shift in the mood for Panthers nation, as we went from feeling better about the team’s overall direction to thinking week 3 might have just been a flash in the pan. I know there’s been several discussions going on in the comments, and you all know this is my place to have discussions about the team. I was hoping to continue the positive momentum, but it was not to be this week.

You all know the drill, comment down below with all your questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic! I’ll have answers to those questions later on in the week. Be gentle!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/carolina-panthers-rumors/56076/brian-asks-welp

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Fernando Mendoza

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 Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Bio​

Mendoza’s college football career almost ended before it began. He did not have any D1 offers and was set to attend Yale University. At the eleventh hour, Cal swooped in and offered Mendoza a scholarship. He started out buried on the depth chart but had already elevated himself to the starter midway through his redshirt freshman season. After a fantastic 2024 season with the Golden Bears, Mendoza decided to enter the transfer portal and ended up with the Indiana Hoosiers, in part to reunite with his younger brother Alberto who is a redshirt freshman with the program. As his acceptance to Yale indicates, Fernando is an incredibly smart person on and off the field, earning him Academic All-Conference recognition.

Strengths/Weaknesses​

Mendoza has the ideal size at 6’5”, 225 lbs. His intelligence shines on the gridiron as well, as he excels in pre-snap reads, audibles, pocket presence, and two minute situations. He also has a rare combination of quick release and strong arm, allowing him to attack all areas of the field even in traffic. Mendoza also has the mobility and awareness to make things happen after the pocket breaks down, as he showed behind a terrible offensive line at Cal. He has displayed amazing toughness and his frame even has room to add more bulk in an NFL strength and conditioning program.

The largest drawback for Mendoza seems to be a reluctance to quit on a play from the pocket. He takes far too many sacks due to refusing to scramble, which leads to him taking some unnecessary hits. We’ll see if he is able to improve in this regard as the season progresses.

Projection​

Mendoza’s hot start to the 2025 season has shot him to the top of many mock drafts as the first overall selection. The quarterback depth in this draft has been a little lackluster, so Mendoza will look to distance himself as the top quarterback prospect for 2026. His fit with the Panthers will depend entirely on what the coaching staff looks like. I think Mendoza is the perfect quarterback for what Dave Canales wants to do on offense if he is done trying to make Bryce Young happen.

The 22 year old Indiana signal caller makes quick reads, is calm under pressure, has good size, doesn’t turn the ball over, and possesses the arm to make all the NFL throws. If the Panthers part ways with Canales, I’m sure the new regime will want their own quarterback, spelling the end of Bryce Young’s Panthers career. Mendoza’s prowess on back shoulder throws and throws into traffic would mesh well with rookie standout Tetairoa McMillan, regardless of who is coaching the team next fall.

What do you think, Panthers fans? If Fernando Mendoza 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...6-nfl-draft-prospect-profile-fernando-mendoza

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Dolphins: Week 5 odds

The sky is falling. The end is nigh. The 1-3 Carolina Panthers are the worst team in the NFL and everybody knows it. Everybody except for sportsbooks, apparently. For the first time this season, the Panthers are favored to win a game against an NFL team.

The 1-3 Miami Dolphins—whose sole win came last week over the 0-4 New York Jets—are one of the few teams that can lay claim to a worse season than the Panthers so far. Here are the odds to date:

Week 5​

Spread​

Dolphins: +1.5 (-115)

Panthers: -1.5 (-1-5)

O/U​

44.5 (-105/-115)

Moneyline​

Dolphins: +100

Panthers: -118

Remember that home-field advantage is traditionally accounted for by spotting the home team—Carolina, in this case—three points on the spread. The spreads have been wildly inaccurate for Panthers games this season, though, so take that with the biggest grain of salt that you can carry to the stadium on Sunday.

It’s hard to make anything of these odds. The Dolphins are a slow rolling dumpster fire of a team right now, but they are relatively healthy—minus the potential loss of Tyreek Hill yesterday. The Panthers have had one extremely high high and several very low lows to date. Carolina is also very from healthy and not getting healthier quickly.

This is a game that the Panthers should absolutely win and should win by a wider margin than two points. That said, I fully expect them to do anything but that as is their historical wont.

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/56079/panthers-vs-dolphins-week-5-odds

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Dolphins: Offensive preview

The Carolina Panthers fell apart in spectacular fashion after a shocking 30-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. It didn’t look that way in the beginning. Bryce Young and company got the ball first and took it 76 yards on just seven plays to open the scoring. That was the peak of the afternoon. Here is how the subsequent drives went:

• Punt
• Punt
• Missed field goal
• Punt
• Punt
• Downs
• Punt
• Downs

The Panthers finally scored their second touchdown in garbage time with Andy Dalton leading the charge. Outside of the touchdown drives that bookended the game, the Panthers gained 159 yards and picked up 11 first downs on 45 plays. It was about as anemic as an offense can look, and it came against a Patriots defense that had been vulnerable in the first three weeks. The return of Christian Gonzalez, their best defender, certainly helped, but it was still an inexcusable showing for a unit that’s supposed to be okay at least.

Up next is a Miami Dolphins defense that ranks 32nd in the league in Defensive DVOA. They’re coming off a win over the New York Jets, but they allowed a toothless Jets offense to average over seven yards per play. This should be a bounce back for the offense. There are a few things that can make sure that happens.

• Play clean football, don’t turn the ball over. The Jets lost their game to the Dolphins more than the Dolphins won it. Miami recovered three turnovers and were the beneficiaries of a number of pre-snap penalties by the Jets offense. Those turnovers and penalties were the only thing that slowed down the Jets offense, because the Dolphins certainly weren’t offering up much resistance. Bryce Young seems to either take pristine care of the football or commit multiple turnovers in a game with no in between. Every game needs to be the former, but that’s especially true when that’s seemingly the only way to hold yourself back from moving the ball with ease against a very porous defense.
• Pound the rock. I’m normally not one to overly emphasize the ground game, but this is an exception to that. The Dolphins have allowed 5.1 yards per rush on the season, which is fourth worst in the league, and it’s gotten worse week over week since the start of the season. James Cook averaged 5.7 yards per carry against this defense in Week 2 and Breece Hall averaged 5.8. Quarterbacks have rushed for four touchdowns in four games against the Jets. There should be space to run for whoever has the ball in their hands. With the Panthers struggling to get the passing game off the ground, this is the perfect week to lean on Chuba Hubbard and the run game.
• Feed off the home crowd or home stadium or whatever it is that makes them play better. The Panthers have always had a bit of a hard time keeping visiting fans away, but the Dolphins aren’t exactly a big draw for local fans right now either. There should be a home field advantage in that aspect. But beyond that, the Panthers have largely been incapable of playing good offensive football outside the friendly confines of Bank of America Stadium. Bryce Young is 1-17 on the road with the lone win coming in last year’s shootout win over the Falcons. Outside of that one anomaly, Bryce Young starts have generated just 14.1 points per game since the start of last season. Charlotte has been much kinder to Young, where he has a better record at 6-10 while leading the team to 22.3 points per game. A home game against a weak defense is exactly the situation Bryce needs to show something.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...hers-vs-dolphins-offensive-preview-nfl-week-5

 

[Carolina Panthers]

CSR Weekend Warriors: 10/3-10/5

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

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/56040/csr-weekend-warriors-10-3-10-5

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers Injury Report & Transactions – Week 5

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​

The biggest news on this week’s injury report is running back Chuba Hubbard will miss the game against the Miami Dolphins. The fifth-year veteran has been the most reliably consistent performer on the Panthers offense over the last couple of years, so backups Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne, a rookie with eight career rushing attempts, will need to shoulder the load.

Second-year tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders will miss his second game in a row. He had a solid start to the season with 11 receptions on 14 targets for 92 yards through the Panthers first three games, and his absence will have an impact on the passing game.

Transactions​

Buckle up, everybody! The Panthers front office made a host of roster moves this week, including the following:

• Injured reserve: Placed wide receiver David Moore and guard Chandler Zavala on injured reserve
• Waived players: Waived outside linebacker DJ Johnson and wide receiver Dalevon Campbell (injured)
• Practice squad signings: Signed running back Deejay Dallas and safety Trevian Thomas from the practice squad to the active roster
• Signed from other practice squads: Signed tackle Jake Curhan from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad to the active roster
• Signed to the practice squad: Signed running back Tre Tyus, guard Aiden Williams, and guard Saahdiq Charles to the practice squad

The most surprising move was releasing DJ Johnson. He was a third round pick in 2023 and recorded 60 tackles, four tackles for loss, and half a sack in his first two seasons in Carolina. This year he had just two tackles in four games before his release.

Losing David Moore and Chandler Zavala to the injured reserve is a blow to the offense. Regarding Zavala’s injury, this is why it was wise for the Panthers to re-sign Brady Christensen this year. In limited snaps this season Christensen is PFF’s No. 2 rated guard in the NFL, though there will be regression to the mean as he continues to play.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...26/panthers-injury-report-transactions-week-5

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Brian Answers: What’s the future plan with Bryce Young and Dave Canales?

Hello CSR! This week was a bit of a doozy with the mailbag, but I appreciate all of the participation week in and week out! As a reminder, this is your place to ask all your questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic! Most of the questions followed a similar theme this week; burn everything down. Let’s dive right in!

RandallPink11: Good Morning Brian,

This morning I did a quick search because I was qurious.

“What NFL team has the least wins in the past 5 seasons?”

Within seconds, my Googler returned…

“The Carolina Panthers have the fewest wins over the past five seasons, with 24 wins between September 29, 2020, and September 29, 2025”

Are we the new Browns? I used to feel so bad for Browns fans. Do other fans view us like that now? I can’t help but giggle at that thought this morning.

Have a good day, Brian!

Great way to start the mailbag! I will say from a general life experience, most of the time when I tell people I’m a Panthers fan their first question is; “why?”

I don’t feel that the Panthers are the “new Browns”, but they have a lot of building to do before most non-Panthers fans and pundits buy into any kind of upswing. But, constantly changing head coaches and quarterbacks certainly hasn’t helped the team righting the ship and finding a way to be at least optimistic about the future. I have a feeling I’ll be talking a lot about moving on from those two specific areas as we go in this mailbag.

Mickeygrant78: To me, year 3 is a make or break year for Bryce Young. Aside from a few flashes in the pan, overall he’s looked less than adequate as the QB1. At what point do we admit he’s not the answer??…how much more time are we supposed to give him to show everyone he can be an elite quarterback?

This question was presented as a quote, so I am assuming it was asked before the season or at least a few weeks ago.

Bryce Young has had a less than stellar start to the year, and I get fans wanting to move on from him at this point. I think we as fans can make our decision whether or not he’s the answer, but for the organization, I don’t think it really makes sense to move on completely from him until at least the off-season. Bringing in an outside quarterback likely isn’t going to fix the problems since that guy will be learning the playbook on the fly. I don’t necessarily consider benching Bryce outside the realm of possibility, but I think he’ll need to put up a real stinker against the Dolphins for that to be possible. Right now, the Panthers don’t have a ton of options long term, so giving Bryce the full season makes sense, and then I guess we can make a definitive decision. However, so much of the discourse over the last few weeks reminds me of the Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield discussions, and both are currently successful starting quarterbacks in the league. It might make sense to not pull the plug as soon as possible on Bryce, but I’ll reserve the option to change that opinion as the season progresses.

schrodingersblackcat: Will the AT trade prove to be the most brilliant FO move in franchise history?

Without AT, Bryce is utterly exposed. Could this finally be the move that gets our ownership to give up on the pipe dream that Bryce is a franchise QB? Could it help us avoid getting trapped in QB purgatory for years and breaking the bank with an oversized contract for an undersized QB? Could it even be the move that finally convinces ownership/FO to stop getting cute in the draft and start making obvious, conventional choices like winning franchises do?

I know, know… That’s an awful lot of optimism for a team whose brainiac point guard QB is in his third season and still throwing the ball away on 4th down.

But is it possible, Brian?

I don’t think the Panthers are signing Bryce Young to a long term extension if these struggles continue, regardless of what you think of the front office. I would hope if the season goes in the direction many fans are expecting, the Panthers will pivot to a full rebuild, regardless of what they do at quarterback. Adam Thielen being traded should not be considered the reason Bryce Young is faltering, but maybe getting Jalen Coker back will stabilize some things since he was clearly the heir apparent to that role in the offense. I guess give it four weeks and we’ll see.

SwampPanther: Did you watch the postgame locker room after the Atlanta win? When Bryce stood up and gave the game ball to Canales did it seem like all the energy got sucked out of the room? Went from YAY!!! to golf claps.

Is the team as fed up with Bryce as we are and is that leading to the lethargy on the field knowing that their effort is for nothing?

I did watch it, I didn’t come away feeling the energy got sucked away, they just spent a couple of minutes celebrating the win. That tends to be the case as the coaches and leaders give out their praise before the last huddle and break.

Here’s the video if you’d like to watch it. Tell me what you think.

KSUDD: What are the odds that Canales is the coach next year? I find it highly unlikely Tepper fires another coach mid-season while he tries to rehab his reputation from 2023, but he is a petty man and at some point he will burn Canales’ salary to make a change.

I’ve said it in previous mailbags following a loss, but I will have lost basically all faith in David Tepper and this front office if they move on from Dave Canales, a developing head coach, less than two years into his tenure. He deserves the scrutiny and criticism, don’t get it twisted. But the Panthers Offseason definitely seemed like they were looking at the long term picture with their draft picks and many of their decisions. If they blow up the coaching staff (outside of Ejiro Evero, who isn’t under contract for 2026 anyway), I’m no longer going to feel any positiveity about the future. The Panthers can’t keep blowing up their foundation and then expecting it all to get fixed in less than two seasons.

dayneb12: I got a “what-if” scenario for you. Where do you think the Panthers would be right now had they accepted the two first rounders and second rounder from the Rams? Who would they have taken with those picks?

This is really hard to say. I think they probably wouldn’t have moved on from Baker Mayfield/Sam Darnold if they had all of that draft capital. They’d probably be a bit more competitive, but I also wonder how long this would have dragged out Matt Rhule/Scott Fitterer’s tenure, which likely would not have been great from a long term team building perspective either.

KeepPounding88: Who do you think will be our starter next year: Bryce, a veteran QB from Free Agency, or a top draft pick?

I think the Panthers will bring in a quarterback via free agency to compete with Bryce Young, and possibly draft a guy if they have a high enough draft pick. I’m not sure who ends up starting, but I think you go into camp with a competition and let it shake out, if things continue the way they have been this season.

Panthers75: Is the light at the end of the tunnel a train? We all knew the game against Atlanta was a mirage but I dont think many of us thought they were this bad. I really thought this team took some steps forward at the end of last season. It just seems like everything they do ends up not working. If we lose to Miami who’s the sacrificial firing?

It is certainly possible that the Atlanta win and the New England loss end up being opposite ends of the spectrum for this team, and we see a ton of performances in between those extremes this season. But I digress, if the Panthers have an equally horrific loss to the Dolphins this Sunday as compared to the Patriots last week, its possible the Panthers relieve Ejiro Evero of his duties. I’m not sure how much overall good that does for this team, but I could see it.

Galadhron: If the team suddenly brought back John Fox or Riverboat Ron and coordinators of their choosing, which one would be able to squeeze as much life as they could out of this current squad?

Probably Ron Rivera. At least he might go for it past midfield more than Canales has this year.

Revshawn: Alright Brian! The boys and I are doing a challenge. Sugar Free Drinks in October! The challenge is that we aren’t drinking Cokes or sugary drinks of any kind for the entire month! Liquor is fine just don’t overdo it!

Are you in or are you out?

I’m going to need a lot of liquor to get through October with this team. Sorry Rev.

Chef: Brian, we all know what the biggest question is, what is the best/cheapest/easiet/fastest way to fix it and move on?

I don’t think moving on from Bryce Young makes sense yet. Surely, if this performance continues, don’t pick up the 5th year option. But Bryce Young did fine while he was benched last season. I think you bring in a veteran and a rookie/younger players and just ramp the competition up in 2026, and see what happens. I don’t think Bryce Young is the kind of guy who will cause locker room rifts if the team decides to go in a different direction next season, and I’d hate to add him to the Baker Mayfield/Sam Darnold Hall of Fame “guys the Panthers should probably have given a little more time to.”

storybook: I’m afraid the Carolina Panthers have joined the handful of sports organizations who seem incapable of making a good decision. This group includes teams like the LA Angels, NY Jets, Cleveland Browns, Sacramento Kings, and Charlotte Hornets. Is there anything you see that would separate the Panthers from this company of teams? .. Or, what is the next major decision the Panthers should make that could put them on a better trajectory?

In my opinion, the best thing the Panthers can do is don’t burn everything down to the bedrock less than two seasons in. These sweeping decisions are what got them into the predicaments of the last couple seasons in the first place. Again, in my opinion.

positivebob: Give Hooker a fair shot to win the QB job? I know they’ll stick with BY for a while and I don’t know how HH looks in practice, but if BY continues to be unproductive, especially after Coker gets back, and Hooker looks like he might have something, even if it’s not much, why not give him some live snaps, even if he doesn’t start. What have they got to lose? In a blowout like last week, I’d rather see what Hooker can do than run Dalton out there again. We know Dalton. Give HH a chance to surprise us or prove he ain’t it.

I’m fine with Hendon Hooker getting some snaps if things continue to go off the rails with Bryce at the helm. I don’t know how much better it’ll be, but exploring all options without sacrificing future assets mid-season is something I can’t oppose.

RebuildingSince95: Good evening Brian,
Once the Bryce Experiment is over this year, I have a strong feeling that the team will let Dalton go (keeping Bryce as a backup next year). I also think Canales will get 2 QBs of his choice. Which 2026 free agent or current backup QB do you think he brings in? What QB do you think he drafts?

Other commentors brought his name up, but Marcus Mariota would make a lot of sense as a stopgap guy who would fit Dave Canales’s offense quite well as a veteran. I could also see them taking a chance on Zach Wilson or Trey Lance, as guys you bring in to straight up compete and see if he wins the job. I have a hard time trying to nail down a quarterback since we don’t really know where the Panthers will be picking, but lets go with LaNorris Sellers or Dante Moore. Spice up the athleticism a bit.

That’s all this week, Panthers fans. I’m exhausted, I am hoping we can be a little happier with the direction of the team for next week’s mailbag. Not holding my breath though. KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...future-plan-with-bryce-young-and-dave-canales

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Reacts Results: Fans agree some change is needed

The Carolina Panthers 13-42, uh, exposure by the New England Patriots seems to have been the last straw for many of the long suffering Panthers faithful. Fans were riding high just a week before. 69% of them were confident that the team was heading in the right direction after a 30-0 domination of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.

After their Week 4 loss, 60% of fans seem to have abandoned hope. A loss of hope often accompanies a desire for significant change. So we asked folks what they would change about the current leadership of the team, limited to general manager Dan Morgan, head coach Dave Canales, and quarterback Bryce Young.

The bottom line is that 85% of fans are ready to walk away from Young. That breaks down into a willingness for his exit to cause varying degrees of collateral damage to the rest of the organization.

51% of folks are ready to move on from Canales, even though most of them agree that Young is part of problem in Charlotte.

More than a frustration with the current leadership, I think this ultimately is expressing a frustration with the history of losing that has marked each season of David Tepper’s ownership. Bad decisions followed by knee-jerk reactions have removed any possibility of stability and long term growth for the Panthers on a season-to-season basis. Fans know this and loathe this. They also know that the football product they see on the field this season is worse than what they expected and they want it to be better.

Unfortunately, there are not easy answers to that dilemma. Change at some level feels inevitable this season. Fans are likely to get some part of their wishes granted there. Whether or not it will be change for the better may take longer to tell than Panthers fans are willing to wait.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/general/56132/reacts-results-fans-agree-some-change-is-needed

 

[Carolina Panthers]

How will the Panthers defense bounce back?

Hello CSR! We’re onto week 5, hopefully putting a horrific week 4 loss to the Patriots behind us. The Panthers will welcome the Dolphins to Charlotte for their second home game of the season, and currently the Panthers have surrendered ZERO points at home this season. That trend should continue, right? Let’s dive right into the matchup for the Panthers defense!

• Show me the plan at EDGE! The Panthers edge rushers and subsequent pass rush has been all out of sorts since the very beginning of the season. And against what should have been a decent matchup for them last week, the unit only managed 2 pressures and 1 sack. This week, they’ll be facing off against a relatively weak offensive line group for the Dolphins, but the matchup hasn’t seemed to matter a ton as the Panthers continue to figure out what their front seven is supposed to look like. DJ Johnson started the game last week rotating with Princely Umanmielen, now Johnson is no longer on the roster. While DJ Wonnum and Patrick Jones are working to return as part of the rotation, the Panthers will have to lean on rookies Nic Scourton and Umanmielen a bit more, even if both those guys return. The Panthers need to show some life from their pass rushers if their offense continues to struggle moving the ball for more than one drive a game.
• Contain De’Von Achane. While it felt like the Panthers got absolutely run over in every category last week defensively, they managed to hold the Patriots to just 104 yards rushing as a unit despite the defense routinely getting put into bad situations by the Panthers offense and special teams unit. The Patriots definitely were effective when they ran the football, that is not to be questioned, but this Panthers rush defense is doing better than its 2024 counterpart. This week, the Dolphins will likely try to lean on their rushing attack since they will be missing top WR target Tyreek Hill. De’Von Achane has been a consistent problem both on the ground and as a receiving threat, and he faces a plus matchup against a Panthers linebacker group that has played from bad at best to embarrassing at worse all season. Expect Achane and the rest of the running backs to be heavily involved to take some pressure off Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the passing attack.
• Limit Jaylen Waddle and Darren Waller. While the Dolphins won’t have Tyreek Hill, the passing attack now runs through Waddle and Waller. Waddle has remained relatively in check this season, catching 17 balls for 185 yards and 2 TDs throughout 4 games. However, Waller caught 2 TD passes in his first game of action last week, which does not bode well for a Panthers defense that has been routinely gashed by opposing tight ends throughout the season.

What are you looking for from Ejiro Evero and the defense on Sunday, Panthers fans?

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...ins-how-will-the-panthers-defense-bounce-back

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers 27 Dolphins 24: No quit in these Panthers

The Carolina Panthers rallied from a 17-0 deficit to take down the Miami Dolphins, 27-24.

First Quarter​

The Panthers had to start the game with their defense on the field, and they were not ready to go. The Dolphins moved the ball pretty easily using their trademark motion and quick hitting plays. They moved into the red zone with a big pass to Darren Waller down the seam, but that was where the drive would stall. Nic Scourton blew up a screen then Derrick Brown sacked Tua to force the drive to end in a field goal.

The Panthers ensuing drive was similar. A couple of modest plays were followed by a 30 yard gain to Tetairoa McMillan. The drive also ended there, but this one was a self inflicted end. Bryce Young kneed the ball out of his own hand trying to juke a defender, and it was picked up by a defender to end the drive.

The next Dolphins possession was more of the same. They took it 58 yards in a whopping 14 plays. They dinked and dunked down the field before the last dink led DeVon Achane into the end zone to put the Dolphins up 10-0.

Second Quarter​

Young again sabotaged the next Panthers drive with a turnover. He tried to step up in the pocket but kind of stepped into traffic. He air mailed his pass attempt and it was picked off.

The Dolphins took advantage of the good field position and quickly worked inside the five on a quick pass to Jaylen Waddle. On the next play, Tua found Waller in between Tevin Wallace and Jaycee Horn to put the Dolphins up three scores.

Fortunately the Panthers were able to stabilize things from there. Rico Dowdle broke off a couple big runs to get the drive started and then another big pass play to McMillan took the Panthers inside scoring range. Young hit Xavier Legette in the back corner of the end zone to restore some faith.
An A’Shawn Robinson sack derailed the Dolphins attempt at a response, and that got the ball back for the home team quickly. They manufactured another scoring drive going into the half. Dowdle ripped off another big run to start the drive. Young was able to nickel and dime down the field to set up another score. Ryan Fitzgerald kicked home a field goal to make it a one score game heading into the half.

Third Quarter​

Dowdle ripped off another big run, this time for 53 yards. Young wasn’t able to get the offense set for the next play quick enough, so they suffered a delay of game penalty. He missed Tommy Tremble on a wheel route, so Fitzgerald had to knock home his second field goal of the day.

A holding penalty brought back a long completion to Waddle, and put the Dolphins behind the sticks. The Panthers defense was able to just enough to force a punt to give the offense a chance to take the lead. They did not do that and quickly had to punt the ball right back. That happened a couple more times between the end of the third and the early parts of the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter​

The Panthers finally broke the streak of a combined seven consecutive possessions ending in a punt. Dowdle slashed through the right side of the line to pick up another big chunk to help work the Panthers into Miami territory. His runs and a defensive holding on McMillan took the Panthers inside the 10, then Bryce Young scrambled to the one. On the next play, Dowdle punched in a well deserved touchdown to give the Panthers their first lead of the game.

The score seemingly woke the Dolphins up. Malik Washington drug members of both return teams out to the 40. After a couple of quick hitters to Achane, Tua found Waddle behind Mike Jackson for a 46 yard bomb.

And the game was off to the races. Dowdle broke through the right side again to push his rushing total up to 199 yards, but he had to come out of the game with cramps. Some unexpected contributors stepped up in his absence. Legette caught a corner route then Jimmy Horn Jr. caught a similar ball a few plays later on 4th down to keep the drive alive. Trevor Etienne powered inside the five on a handoff, then Young found Mitchell Evans at the goal line to put the Panthers back on top.

The defense backed up the offense this time. First, the kick coverage team did a much better job containing Malik Washington. An errant pass by Tua on second down was nearly picked off, then Patrick Jones broke through the line for a third down sack with just over a minute to play. The Dolphins elected to punt and use their timeouts.

Dowdle returned from his cramps to try put the game away. He took a couple of carries for a total of five yards, then Dave Canales put the ball in Young’s hands to try to win the game. His throw sailed over the head of Hunter Renfrow, but it was because Jack Jones grabbed the receiver. The pass interference gave the Panthers a game clinching first down.

Overview​

This game looked destined for disaster in the first quarter. It looked like the Panthers were going to get dominated in all three phases, but credit to Dave Canales and his staff for keeping the team engaged and believing. Just about every group played well in the final three quarters to help the comeback. We’ll see if this is a good jumping off point for the rest of the season or if it’s just a thing the Panthers can only do at home.

The next test is a visit from the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...hers-27-dolphins-24-no-quit-in-these-panthers

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers vs Dolphins game review: Taking steps in the right direction

The Monday following the Carolina Panthers total dismantling at the hands of the New England Patriots, Dave Canales made his way to the lectern in the Panthers media room and told everyone listening that the team was taking a long, hard look at who they were over the first four games of the season. A promise to look at where they were at with their scheme and personnel to make needed changes going forward.

Truth be told, when I heard that I was tempted to roll my eyes so hard they would push out the back of my head. I didn’t, and decided that the second year head coach deserves a chance to go through some growing pains and chose to take that outlook going forward… at least for now.

Not long after, the Panthers released the underwhelming 2023 3rd round pick DJ Johnson in what would end up being the amuse-bouche before many other changes were revealed during a record setting day for the Panthers against the Miami Dolphins. For this week’s game review, let’s take a look at a litany of changes the Panthers coaching staff made in the last week that have, hopefully, set the team up for continued success.

Committing (or re-committing) to the run game​

For a coach that would preach the value of running the football, Canales sure did seem to call a lot of pass plays during the first four games. Granted, some of them were necessary given that the Panthers were frequently losing by double digit points. Many times, it seemed like the running game was effective but underutilized in favor of a more volatile Panthers passing game.

After the Dolphins took their commanding lead, Canales finally began to prioritize running the football with Rico Dowdle, and by goodness did that man deliver. Down 17-0, a situation where everyone in the stadium expected the Panthers to start forcing Bryce Young to pass the Panthers back into contention, the Panthers ran the ball 5 straight times. The tone was set for the rest of the game and Dowdle went on to ruin the day for every Dolphins supporter with 206 yards and a touchdown.

Rico Dowdle v Miami. pic.twitter.com/Eob3Ojo6il

— John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) October 5, 2025

Another layer of this re-commitment to the running game was Canales and the coaching staff’s willingness to go outside of their traditional wide-zone running schemes and implement more down hill, gap style plays. They even sprinkled in some other unique-ish ways of getting runners in space like reverses and pitch plays. Dowdle’s opening 53-yard scamper of the 2nd half was on a pitch play that you would not find many examples of during Canales first 20 games calling offensive plays.

Personnel changes in the defensive front seven​

This was teased with the release of DJ Johnson, but on Sunday their changes to how they deployed their personnel made a huge difference.

At outside linebacker, despite both Patrick Jones and DJ Wonnum being healthy, the release of Johnson had rookie Nic Scourton out-snapping Wonnum on his way to producing a team best PFF grade of 89.6. PFF grades are not everything, but Scourton certainly played well enough to justify the team placing some faith in him over Wonnum.

At linebacker, those with a keen eye noticed that Trevin Wallace had taken the “green dot” for the Panthers defense from Christian Rozeboom. Wallace became responsible for relaying the play-call from the coaching staff and Rozeboom shifted into a more two-down linebacker role while Wallace played 100% of snaps. Wallace looked in command of a defense that allowed only 19 yards rushing on the day and Rozeboom looked to be playing much more free.

Think Christian Rozeboom and Trevin Wallace played much better football this week

Patience and disciplined with all of Miami’s pre-snap eye candy, sifting through traffic and blockers from those motions. Sure tackling – especially in space – for the #Panthers LB pic.twitter.com/cvuNJlyfbJ

— Ricky Raines (@rickyboboddy) October 6, 2025

While maybe not technically considered a part of the front 7, Trevon Moehrig and Lathan Ransom took turns as honorary linebackers in an attempt to put more speed on the field to match the fast-paced Dolphins offense. We’ll see if this continues and the two thumpers continue to line-up near the line of scrimmage on every down, but at least for this game the duo’s presence heavily affected the opposing teams rushing attack and underneath passing game.

Leaning on the rookies​

The deployment of Scourton and Ransom were already mentioned, but the rest of the Panthers rookie class had an overwhelmingly positive showing.

To state the obvious, Tetairoa McMillan is still very good at football. Not only does he consistently lead the Panthers in receiving yards week after week, but he has the uncanny ability to turn every defensive back he faces into 2023 Panthers cornerback CJ Henderson. You know, the cornerback who would panic in 1-on-1 situations and was constantly flagged for pass interference and/or defensive holding. Well, for the 5th straight game to open his career, an opposing defender has drawn a flag while covering McMillan.

Beyond McMillan, the other rookie skill position players on offense each had shining moments. 6th round receiver Jimmy Horn’s first ever NFL game will be remembered for his clutch 17 yard reception on 4th and 5. That catch set up rookie running back Trevor Etienne for a 12 yard run to the 4 yard line on the next play. Culminating in rookie tight end Mitchell Evans capping off the game winning drive moments later, with a 4 yard touchdown reception. To reiterate, the Panthers were set-up with 4th and 5 from the 33 yard line and turned to 3 rookies from the last day of the 2025 NFL Draft to essentially save their season. The trio of rookies – who, mind you, saw little to no playing time in the first month of the season – delivered on back-to-back-to-back plays and all but sealed the Panthers victory.

Bryce Young to Jimmy Horn Jr. on 4th down!

MIAvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/FYOfsxtAMk

— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025

Honorable mentions to Princely Umanmielen who showed some pass rush juice in limited snaps; Ryan Fitzgerald for making all his kicks after a missing a couple in Foxboro; and to undrafted free agent rookie Corey Thornton for filling in admirably at nickelback in lieu of the injured Chau Smith-Wade.

That’s all I’ve got for you this week, Panthers fans. I’ll be back next week to see if the good vibes will continue after the Panthers face-off versus the Dallas Cowboys.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...me-review-taking-steps-in-the-right-direction