The Carolina Panthers’ preseason Week 3 wrapped up Aug. 24 with a 31-26 win over the Buffalo Bills. This was the first preseason game that newly signed head coach Dave Canales put the starters in, and they did not disappoint.
Quarterback Bryce Young—who’s coming off a rookie year-to-forget after last year’s 2-15 season—only played one drive, but, boy, did he play like a veteran.
Young looked comfortable behind his newly improved offensive line with recently signed guard Robert Hunt, left tackle Ickey Ekwonu and right tackle Taylor Moton leading the way. Young’s footwork and tremendous poise in the pocket is what Panther fans have been looking for from him. Even though he showed flashes of brilliance last year, those plays never led to a lot of points. The Panthers averaged about 13 points a game last year which was the worst in the league.
Even with the starters only playing one drive, their play had Panthers fans excited for what’s to come. Young made connections with rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders over the middle. He made a nice throw to 1,000-yard receiver Adam Thielen and made that 9-5 connection, hitting newly acquired receiver Diontae Johnson on a fourth-and-3 scramble play.
It wasn’t just the passing game that looked good. The running game looked solid as well led by running back Chuba Hubbard, who looks like he’s ready for a 1,000-yard rushing season after coming close last year with over 900 yards.
In the red zone, where the Panthers struggled last year, Young hit tight end Jordan Matthews for an 8-yard touchdown pass, which put the icing on the cake for fans and players.
Rookie first-round pick, receiver Xavier Legette, finally played in a preseason game, showing off his tremendous route running and blocking.
With the Panthers finishing the preseason with a 1-2 record, they now have their sights set for Sept. 8 when they travel to New Orleans to take on their division rivals, the Saints, at 1 p.m.
Panthers season-ticket holder Michael Fallin said the Panthers, who have not had a winning season since 2017, should be better this year. “I think we have improved from 2-15 last year. My expectation would have to be seven wins at best with a tough slate of games against Kansas City, Dallas, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Los Angeles (Chargers), and a first-year head coach in Dave Canales.”
Guilford College football wide receiver Brendon Bradford, who is a lifelong Panthers fan, believes playoffs are not expected this year but definitely wants to see improvement from 2-15.
Eagles fan Vance Taylor was asked about his thoughts on the new-look Panthers and their potential this season. He says he expects improvement but not the best, predicting the team to end with a win total of five. He thinks the additions of the offensive line and Johnson will help with Young’s development.
This year is an important year for Young’s development. Last year, he never had much of anything to work with, and the offense had all sorts of problems. When receivers were not able to get open, Young was often sacked. The team led the NFL in sacks.
Hunt and Lewis are expected to provide a boost for Young, and especially for running backs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders, who aim to improve on last year’s average of 3.3 yards per carry. This was a disappointing result, particularly since the Panthers signed Sanders to a hefty contract, and he lost the starting running back job midseason.
On defense, there’s still a lot of questions that need to be answered. The Panthers lost several key starters to free agency during the offseason such as Jeremy Chinn, Frankie Luvu, Vonn Bell, and, most importantly, Brian Burns, who could not reach a deal to remain in Carolina and was traded to New York. After all the fallout, Carolina went and tried to acquire as much talent as they could to help replace them with signings like linebacker Josey Jewell, tackle A’Shawn Robinson, defensive back Dane Jackson, and edge D.J. Wonnum. Even after last year’s forgettable season, the Panthers’ defense managed to be one of the league’s best, one of the team’s bright spots.
Key players that Carolina expects to have big years from are defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who’s coming off a record 103-tackle season, the most by a tackle, and star cornerback Jaycee Horn, who is one of the better corners in the league when healthy.
Dave Canales has a track record of building up and making quarterbacks look great. Will he do the same with Young and lead Carolina into a new era?
