Panthers’ season-long issue could already set the offense up for disaster in Week 9, regardless of who’s playing quarterback
The Carolina Panthers offensive line continues to be ravaged by injuries.
Sunday was an abysmal day at the office for the Carolina Panthers after getting absolutely pounded by the Buffalo Bills with veteran quarterback Andy Dalton starting in place of an injured Bryce Young.
Dalton’s first start of the season was a brutal one for the 37-year-old quarterback who finished the game with one interception, two fumbles, and seven sacks going up against the Bills defense. The good news? Head coach Dave Canales said after the game that Young is close to returning from an ankle injury suffered late in Week 7.
The bad news, regardless of who’s playing quarterback, the Panthers have a bigger problem to worry about on offense going into Week 9’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Panthers OL concerns continue to stack following Week 8 loss to the Bills
It seems like no team in the NFL has had worst injury luck on the offensive line than the Carolina Panthers through the first eight weeks of the season. In eight games, the Panthers have played with six different starting-five combinations and suffered even more losses on Sunday.
Right guard Brady Christensen, the team’s third option at the position this season, suffered a significant Achilles injury in the loss, putting an end to his 2025 season. Christensen signed a one-year extension with the team this offseason and was filling in at a high level as a depth piece to the point he was in line for a solid deal in free agency.
Regardless, it was another brutal injury to the offensive front, and it wasn’t the only blow. Right tackle Taylor Moton left the game early with a knee injury (his second game back after missing Week 6 with an elbow injury) and center Cade Mays left the game early with an ankle injury.
Mays has been starting at center since Week 3 and the team did get the Week 1 starter back in Austin Corbett last week, who filled in at left guard in place of Damien Lewis in Week 7 and took over at center on Sunday. Mays’ injury isn’t believed to be serious and at right guard Christensen was replaced by Jake Curhan, a midseason signing off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.
There’s a saying: when it rains it pours. That’s a good description of the Panthers offensive line issues in 2025, which clearly played a role in Sunday’s abysmal performance. And in the NFL, the schedule keeps rolling.
Next Sunday, the Panthers will face off against the Green Bay Packers on the road with potentially the team’s seventh starting combination of the season. That starting five will be tasked with defending against a Micah Parsons-led pass rush that totaled 3.0 sacks in Week 8 and 21.0 sacks on the season so far.
Whether it’s Young or Dalton taking snaps for the Panthers, either player will be in for a tough challenge against this Packers defensive front the way things are looking with the offensive line.
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