2 winners and 4 losers from the Panthers loss to the Browns: Bryce Young couldn’t will Carolina to a win but the loss is far from his fault
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young showed some resilience in the 21-18 loss, but the offensive line’s struggles and a mounting injury list are raising serious concerns ahead of a primetime matchup with the Detroit Lions.
The Carolina Panthers fell to the Cleveland Browns 21-18 in Week 2, dropping their second game of the season in a game they had every chance to win.
The play of quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers’ offensive line, and injuries across the roster, all factored into a frustrating afternoon for Dave Canales’ squad. Carolina had two late offensive drives to take the lead and couldn’t convert either one. While failing to close the game out late on defense.
So, let’s dive into the winners and losers before turning the page to Week 4.
Loser: Injuries are the biggest concern from Week 3
The Panthers were already shorthanded heading into this game. Linebacker Devin Lloyd, the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week, did not suit up. Starting safety Nick Scott and wide receiver Xavier Legette were also out. It got worse from there.
Cornerback Mike Jackson was ruled out early with a groin injury. Left guard Damian Lewis missed a significant chunk of the game with an elbow injury before returning in the second half, but clearly was playing through the injury. Wide receiver Jalen Coker, who was questionable all week with an ankle injury, ended up getting ruled out with a quad injury (but said after it shouldn’t be serious). Defensive tackle Bobby Brown left for a stretch as well before returning. And late in the game, Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn left the field after what looked like a non-contact play.
The two corners, Jackson and Horn, are the biggest injuries to watch coming out of this game. Head coach Dave Canales said after the game that Horn is dealing with a quad injury and was nowhere near being able to come back on the field. We’ll see how long those two could potentially be sidelined.
Winner: Bryce Young was not the problem
The stat sheet won’t scream it, and Young will catch some undeserved criticism, but there was a lot to like about what he showed in Cleveland. Young was getting dinged up himself, dealing with ankle issues and spending time in the medical tent between drives. Yet he managed to stay out there, tough through the injury, and finish the game; even if it didn’t end the way he’d hope after throwing an interception on the final play.
I actually loved what I saw from Young leading the Panthers down the field in the fourth quarter and taking the lead with under five minutes. The defense couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain on the ensuing touchdown drive. He finished with 291 yards on what was the second most passing attempts of his career, coming close to another 300-yard game.
The offensive line gave Young almost nothing to work with on Sunday. He was under immense pressure for literally over half his dropbacks, and the unit failed him on both of those final two drives. Young, who leads the NFL in game-winning drives since 2023, had two opportunities to do it again but he couldn’t add Sunday to the list. There are real issues with this Panthers offense right now. Quarterback, to me, is not one of them.
Loser: The offensive line was inexcusable
This is the biggest problem facing Carolina’s offense. Left tackle Rasheed Walker had a false start early and was getting beat regularly by Jared Verse off the edge. Rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling surrendered a sack on third down before halftime and added a false start on one of those final drives. That tackle situation alone remains dire.
Ikem Ekwonu is still dealing with a patellar tendon injury and remains on the PUP list. Veteran right tackle Taylor Moton is still on the NFI list after dealing with blood clots earlier in the summer. Carolina needs both of those tackles back sooner than later, and that has been a recurring theme through three weeks.
One change that might happen at center is benching Luke Fortner in favor of rookie Sam Hecht. Fortner was getting demolished by Mason Graham, who had two sacks and seven tackles for the Browns’ defensive front.
The Panthers have a Sunday night game against the Detroit Lions in Week 4, and these issues will be under the spotlight in primetime before a bye in Week 5.
Winner: Brycen Tremayne steps up at WR
With Legette out, Tremayne earned the start and led the team in receiving yards, including a 31-yard reception down the sideline. Tetairoa McMillan had a quiet game with only two catches for 17 yards, largely because Denzel Ward did a strong job locking him up. Tremayne is another injury to watch after leaving the game on his diving catch on the final drive, holding his midsection.
Loser: Brad Idzik falls short after two strong weeks
Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik had some questionable calls early, and the Panthers weren’t aggressive enough until late in the game when that approach finally led to a touchdown drive.
The run game was inconsistent again with Chuba Hubbard, who had 82 yards on 19 attempts. The numbers again look decent on paper for him, but Hubbard was consistently meeting contact behind the line of scrimmage. Idzik waited too long to get AJ Dillon involved as a bruiser back who could have helped offset some of the offensive line issues. It’s also on Idzik for not scheming up ways to get McMillan away from Ward and get him the ball more than twice.
To Idzik’s credit, it was a tough defensive front and one of the tougher defenses this unit will face all season. Credit really goes to Cleveland for making life difficult. Still, Carolina’s collective failures on offense were a difference in a game this team could have won.
Loser: Defense fell apart in this game and again it’s a mixture of scheme and execution
Defensively, the Panthers literally handed this game to the Browns and that’s what it ultimately came down to. Carolina should have had two interceptions early against quarterback Deshaun Watson that were dropped and multiple sacks that were called back due to penalty.
Speaking of calling a play back due to penalty, the Panthers had this game won when Watson’s endzone pass was intercepted by Akayleb Evans but called back due to a roughing the passer call on Bobby Okereke after his arm hit Watson in the helmet.
Evero’s conversative scheme still didn’t help things on Sunday even if the execution was off at critical times. The unit just couldn’t get it done yet again to close out a game.
