Rapid Reaction: Panthers drop to 0-6 after 42-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins
Week 6 started differently. But it ended familiarly. The Carolina Panthers dropped to 0-6 after a 42-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Miami Sunday afternoon. Despite the now-expected outcome, there are still some moments that are worth taking away from the Panthers' bout with one of the best offenses of the 2023 NFL season. […]
Week 6 started differently.
But it ended familiarly.
The Carolina Panthers dropped to 0-6 after a 42-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Miami Sunday afternoon. Despite the now-expected outcome, there are still some moments that are worth taking away from the Panthers' bout with one of the best offenses of the 2023 NFL season.
Bryce Young's incremental improvements
Following a decent second half against the Detroit Lions, Panthers rookie Bryce Young looked solid to start the game against the Dolphins.
He led two scoring drives in the first quarter. And it appeared that Young's connection to veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen also improved. It was Thielen who Young found on an eight-yard pass to give the Panthers a 14-0 lead with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.
On the touchdown pass drive, Young went 6-for-7 on passing attempts for 82 yards.
Young finished the game 23-for-36 with 217 yards. He averaged six yards per attempt.
Is the running game better without Miles Sanders?
Miles Sanders was one of the Panthers' bigger offseason moves. While the running back market plunged, Carolina signed Sanders to a four-year, $25 million contract, in part due to how he played in his final season in Philadelphia.
When he didn't play on Sunday, missing the game due to injury, the run game looked far more competent — though it's a small sample size.
Chuba Hubbard, starting in Sanders' place, ran the ball 19 times for 88 yards, good enough for 4.6 yards per carry.
Hubbard also did something Sanders hasn't been great at to this point in the season — finding the endzone. He scored on a six-yard run following a seven-play, 64-yard drive.
For context, Sanders has one touchdown on 61 carries thus far in the season. He is averaging 3.1 yards per carry, and he has fumbled the ball twice in five games.
It could be uncomfortable to admit, but the run game may be better off without the Panthers' $25-million man.
Looking ahead
The Panthers are heading into a Week 7 bye week. That means the team will face some uncomfortable questions. The run game is better with less Sanders and more Hubbard. But the franchise invested a decent chunk of change into Sanders being the running back to pair with Young.
It is a pairing that hasn't worked out.
Should Sanders be moved to a backup role?
One additional question remains: How long do the Panthers utilize its "simplified" offense to make life easy for Young?
Though the rookie had a decent game in Week 6, the Panthers still haven't taken the training wheels off the quarterback they mortgaged the future of the franchise to draft. Maybe following a week off, the Panthers will have the confidence to do more on offense.
Laviska Shenault Jr. leaves Week 6 game with fibula injury
Week 6 started a bit differently for the Carolina Panthers.
Panthers looked to ‘simplify’ offense for Bryce Young: It only sort of worked
Heading into Week 5, the Carolina Panthers wanted to try something new.
