Tag: APP Panthers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina safety Tre’Von Moehrig will miss the Panthers’ home game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams after losing an appeal of a one-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The NFL said Wednesday that Moehrig intentionally hit San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings in the groin near the end the game Monday night.

The suspension will cost Moehrig $65,000, or an 18th of his $1.17 million salary.

It’s a tough loss for the Panthers, who may be also without starting cornerback Jaycee Horn after he sustained a concussion against the 49ers. Horn remains in the concussion protocol.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown for an NFL-high 30 touchdowns this season.

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey maintained that playing Carolina for the first time since the Panthers traded him to San Francisco three years ago wouldn’t raise his level of urgency one bit.

McCaffrey responded to the reunion game like he does almost every week, with a productive performance that led the 49ers to another win.

McCaffrey gained 142 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown, and San Francisco overcame a rough performance by quarterback Brock Purdy to beat the Panthers 20-9 on Monday night.

“Obviously when you see familiar faces, it’s always good to see them before the game and after the game,” McCaffrey said. “But that’s a completely new team than when I was there. So it’s really just business once the ball was snapped.”

McCaffrey’s big night helped the 49ers (8-4) overcome three interceptions in the first half by Purdy to remain in playoff position heading into the stretch run of the season.

Bryce Young and the Panthers (6-6) struggled to take advantage of their opportunities a week after he threw for a franchise-record 448 yards in a win at Atlanta. Young threw for 169 yards with one touchdown and one interception as Carolina missed a chance to move into sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

Purdy wasn’t much better in his second start back from a toe injury as he became the first player this season to throw three interceptions in the first half of a game. Purdy said neither the toe nor rust was an issue.

“Honestly, the decisions of going to those spots, I was fine with,” he said. “It’s just the execution of throwing a better ball. I feel like on really all of them, I needed to just drive the ball a little bit more. I kept it up in the air too long on multiple of them.”

The 49ers went conservative in the second half after Purdy’s rough start to the game, relying mostly on McCaffrey and short passes. The strategy worked with McCaffrey scoring on a 12-yard run to make it 17-3 and the Niners adding a field goal by Matt Gay.

Young did connect on one big play, a 29-yard TD pass to Tetairoa McMillan, but Carolina couldn’t convert on 2-point try after a penalty moved the ball to the 1.

Young then threw his second interception of the game to Ji’Ayir Brown with Carolina in scoring position with a 20-9 deficit.

“Just lack of execution,” Young said. “Couple of plays I’d like to have back, some stuff we could do better. Not what we wanted. We didn’t do good enough and I take ownership of that.”

The frustration from the loss contributed to a spat, with Carolina safety Tre’Von Moehrig hitting San Francisco receiver Jauan Jennings in the groin after a run play late in the game and Jennings responding with a punch to the helmet after the game.

“I was just responding to some childish behavior,” Jennings said.

McCaffrey, who has transformed the 49ers’ offense since being acquired in October 2022, finished with 89 yards rushing and 53 receiving for his 10th 100-yard game of the season — two shy of the franchise record he set in 2023.

The 49ers gave the ball to McCaffrey on the first five plays, leading to the first opening-drive TD of the season against Carolina. Purdy connected on a 12-yard pass to Jennings for the score.

The two offenses did nothing after that. Jaycee Horn had two of Carolina’s three picks of Purdy, but the Panthers turned those takeaways into only three points. Young ruined one drive when he was intercepted by Brown on a first-down play from the 1.

“I like the call,” coach Dave Canales said. “It was an aggressive call, a play action that we had opportunities on. Unfortunately came out with an interception.”

The teams traded field goals and the Niners led 10-3 at the half.

Injuries

Panthers: Horn and LB Claudin Cherelus left the game in the first half with concussions and didn’t return. … G Chandler Zavala (calf) and CB Corey Thornton (ankle) both left in the second half and didn’t return.

49ers: DE Sam Okuayinonu (ankle) left in the second half and didn’t return.

Up next

Panthers: Host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

49ers: Visit Cleveland on Sunday.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Carolina’s Bryce Young and Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. delivered identical somber messages following disappointing performances in losses last week: “I’ve got to be better.”

The quarterbacks are in the spotlight as the Panthers and Falcons seek more balanced offense in the renewal of their NFC South rivalry on Sunday.

The Panthers (5-5) and Falcons (3-6) share similar stories of frustration in recent seasons. Each team is looking to snap a streak of seven consecutive losing seasons and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Each team is counting on its young quarterback to spark a turnaround, but the 2025 results have been mixed as the running games have been more reliable for Atlanta and Carolina. Penix and Young rank 21st and 25th, respectively, in passing yards.

Falcons second-year coach Raheem Morris is facing increased pressure as last week’s 31-25 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Berlin left Atlanta with a four-game losing streak. Morris knows criticism is part of his job, but he has spoken more this week about his concern about Penix “being so hard on himself” after completing only 12 of 28 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown against the Colts.

Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said patience is needed with young quarterbacks.

“Knowing how difficult this game is, knowing the immense pressure that goes into that position, being the franchise quarterback, all the different expectations that come with young quarterbacks, we can obviously jump on these guys super early in their career and not even give them a chance to develop,” Robinson said.

Relying on the run

Each team has relied on deep running games. Carolina’s Rico Dowdle ranks third in the league in rushing and has support from Chuba Hubbard. The Falcons counter with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Robinson, also productive as a receiver out of the backfield, ranks third in the league in scrimmage yards.

Low point for Penix

Penix has thrown only three interceptions this season. Two picks came in an ugly 30-0 loss at Carolina on Sept. 21, including one returned for a touchdown by Chau Smith-Wade. Penix completed only 18 of 36 passes for 172 yards and former starter Kirk Cousins took over in the fourth quarter with the Falcons trailing 27-0.

Penix promised the Falcons will be more competitive.

“Obviously if you look back at that game, they had success in that game,” Penix said. “So, maybe they do show some of the same things that they did in that game, but we will be ready for every look. We’ll definitely make it a better game than what we did last time.”

Protecting Young

The Panthers were held to 175 total yards in last week’s 17-7 home loss to the one-win New Orleans Saints. Young had just 124 yards passing and turned the ball over twice. The Saints stuffed the box on defense to stop Dowdle and forced Young to beat them. Young couldn’t, but it wasn’t all his fault.

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft spent most of the day on the run as the Saints were able to get pressure up the middle, disrupting the timing of several pass plays.

Panthers coach Dave Canales has similar concerns this week facing the Falcons, who come in tied for fifth in the league with 29 sacks, including seven last week. Rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. have helped boost the pass rush.

“At the end of the day, they got some talented guys, and they got some young speed on the edges,” Canales said.

Speak for yourself

Linebacker Nic Scourton said on Sunday the Panthers may have taken the Saints lightly. The rookie’s comments didn’t sit too well with Canales, who said he’d prefer those comments stay in-house.

Canales added that the Panthers looked sharp in practice Wednesday.

“It’s a learning opportunity to say, OK, for our guys, speak for your own performance,” Canales said. “If you want to make a general comment about, hey, when we lose, we’re upset, we’re disappointed. But the specific part of it that we can do a better job of just keeping those things within us and the stuff that we talk about.”

Stopping Bijan

The Panthers defense shut out the Falcons the first time around. Carolina cornerback Mike Jackson knows duplicating that effort on Atlanta’s home field will take another stellar performance.

Robinson had 13 carries for 72 yards and six catches for 39 yards but was held out of the end zone. Robinson’s No. 7 jersey will be the focus for the defense.

“We just played good clean defense, we got a couple of turnovers,” Jackson said. “I feel like we just kind of disrupted their timing. We have to contain No. 7. It all starts with No. 7.”

___

AP Sports Writer Steve Reed contributed to this report.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and the team is optimistic he might be able to play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Young sat out Carolina’s 40-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday with an ankle injury, the first game he has missed this season.

“Bryce had a really good day and we are going to take it each day,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “We are going to push it a little more. We had a little bit of a modified mode at practice today, but he handled the load. Tomorrow we will push it again and we will make a decision in the next couple of days. But he looked good.”

Andy Dalton, who started for Young on Sunday, did not practice because of a sprained thumb.

Young had won three straight starts before missing the Bills game.

Canales said that right tackle Taylor Moton got a good report on his injured knee and there is optimism he might play against the Packers after leaving last week’s game.

Moton did not practice, but the plan is to amp up his load this week at practice and make a determination on his status later in the week.

Outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen (ankle) missed practice and is not expected to play this week. Center Cade Mays (ankle), linebacker Trevin Wallace (shoulder) and safety Nick Scott (groin) did not practice either.

Canales also confirmed that guard Brady Christensen’s season is over after he underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn Achilles tendon sustained in the loss to the Bills.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rico Dowdle has been phenomenal since stepping in as the Carolina Panthers’ starting running back two weeks ago, totaling 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in two outings.

Coach Dave Canales now faces a tough decision: whether to keep Dowdle in the starting lineup once Chuba Hubbard returns from a calf injury, which could be as soon as this week against the New York Jets.

“A great question,” Canales said after the Panthers’ 30-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys, which moved his team to 3-3. “We’re going to figure that part out. But I know Rico is doing a great job, and he will be a big part of what we’re doing.”

Canales calls it a good problem to have.

But that doesn’t make the decision any easier, given the team’s loyalty to Hubbard.

Dowdle, in his sixth NFL season, is doing it all for Carolina. He ran for 183 yards on 30 carries and caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, just days after warning his former Dallas Cowboys teammates to “buckle up.” That effort came seven days after Dowdle rushed for 206 yards on 23 carries while catching four passes for another 28 yards in a come-from-behind win over the Miami Dolphins.

He set a franchise record for scrimmage yards in back-to-back games. And he become only the seventh player in the last two decades to amass more than 200 yards from scrimmage in consecutive outings.

Hubbard has been the Panthers’ starter and arguably their best player over the past couple of seasons, and the team rewarded him with a four-year, $33 million contract late last season after he ran for nearly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s earned Canales’ respect for his toughness and leadership.

So Hubbard will definitely play.

But it’s hard to imagine Canales putting a hot hand — a scorching hand, in fact — on the bench after two incredible weeks and two Carolina wins.

What’s working

The running game. It’s remarkable what the Panthers have done on the ground the last two weeks — a combined 455 yards rushing against the Cowboys and Dolphins — considering they lost guard Robert Hunt, their best offensive lineman, and center Austin Corbett to injuries in Week 2, and that a third starter, right tackle Taylor Moton, missed Sunday’s game with an elbow injury. Top reserve Chandler Zavala has also missed the last two games. But the Panthers keep plugging and playing guys and seemingly improve each week. It might be time to give offensive line coach Joe Gilbert a raise.

What needs help

The Panthers need to take better care of the ball in the first half. Seven of Bryce Young’s eight turnovers this season have come before halftime. He had one on Sunday, but it wasn’t the QB’s fault. Young was intercepted when his pass went straight through the hands of rookie Tetairoa McMillan.

Stock up

McMillan may have messed up that catch, but he more than made up for it later in the game. The No. 8 pick in the NFL draft has been solid all season and on Sunday caught his first two touchdown passes from Young. McMillan has 27 catches for 380 yards, which puts him on pace for nearly a 1,200-yard season. He’s still very raw in some respects, but his upside is off the charts.

Stock down

Carolina’s pass defense needs to find a way to slow down opposing quarterbacks with more frequency. Although the defense had some timely stops against the Cowboys, the Panthers allowed Dak Prescott to throw three touchdown passes — and that was without CeeDee Lamb. Carolina’s inability to cover the tight end has really stood out, and Jake Ferguson became the latest to find the end zone. Miami’s Darren Waller also had a big game against the Panthers in Week 5.

Injuries

The Panthers are expected have “a few more guys” available this week against the Jets, Canales said. Receiver Jalen Coker was close to returning from injured reserve last week and could make his debut on Sunday. Hubbard, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and defensive lineman Turk Wharton could also be back this week if they make progress in practice. Also, the Panthers plan to open the 21-day window on Corbett, who avoided surgery for a knee injury earlier this year.

Key number

2 — Sunday marked only the second time the Panthers have won back-to-back games under Young, their third-year quarterback.

Next steps

Carolina has a chance to move above .500 on Sunday with a victory at the winless Jets. The last time the Panthers were above .500 this late in the season was Nov. 3, 2019, when they started 5-3, only to lose all of their remaining games.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dave Canales benched Bryce Young two games into the 2024 season for ineffectiveness following a flurry of turnovers resulting in Carolina losing its first two games by a combined margin of 73-13.

More than six quarters into this season it looked as if Canales might be answering similar questions about Young’s future.

The Panthers fell behind 27-3 to the Arizona Cardinals and appeared on the verge of getting blown out for the second straight week. Young had two turnovers on the first two drives, one that was returned for a touchdown.

And then something clicked.

Young got going in the second half against Arizona, rallying the Panthers to 27-22 with three second-half touchdown passes. The Panthers, aided by a recovered onside kick and a few costly penalties on the Cardinals, had several chances to pull off the largest comeback in franchise history — but Young never managed to complete a single pass on the final drive and Carolina dropped to 0-2.

But even though Young failed to complete the comeback, he still displayed the resilience and fight that general manager Dan Morgan and Canales have been looking for from the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick as he continues to work through the maturity process in Year 3.

Young completed 35 of 55 passes for a career-high 328 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona.

This time, he won’t be benched.

“He makes some magical plays,” Canales said. “It’s the mistakes that we have to continue to clean up.”

However, getting the Panthers into the win column became more of a challenge for Young on Monday.

Canales announced that guard Robert Hunt, who signed a $100 million contract last season, and center Austin Corbett are headed to injured reserve. Hunt tore his left biceps, while Corbett has a grade 3 MCL left knee sprain, which normally means a tear ligament.

That’s a huge blow to the offensive line, once considered the strength of the team.

Canales wouldn’t completely rule out either from returning, but it’s clear that would be a long shot.

What’s working

There were some questions about whether wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders, would be able to make it back from a severe case of ulcerative colitis which kept him out of last season and a hamstring injury he sustained earlier this year. Even Renfrow had his doubts. But the team’s slot receiver, who failed to make the final roster cut before re-signing with Carolina after it traded Adam Thielen, showed he still has the ability to get open. Renfrow caught seven passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona.

What needs help

Turnovers. They continue to be an issue with the Panthers, who have five in two games — all of those belonging to Young. Young’s fumble on the opening possession resulted in an Arizona defensive touchdown and an early 7-0 deficit. He then threw an interception on the second drive.

Soon, the Panthers trailed 20-3 at halftime and never had a chance to establish the run game.

“We have to eliminate the mistakes,” Canales said. “Two weeks in a row … early, self-inflicted wounds. … We’re not able to play the complementary football that we’re looking for to be able to mix the runs, the play actions.”

Stock up

WR Tetairoa McMillan. The No. 8 overall pick in the draft is clearly Carolina’s No. 1 option in the passing game. McMillan has 11 receptions for 186 yards this season, including six catches for 100 yards — some of which included some nifty moves after the catch — against Arizona. McMillan has yet to find the end zone, but it’s coming soon. The rookie is too talented not to score a bunch, and he showed that knack in college when he caught 26 TD passes in three seasons with the Arizona Wildcats. The Panthers simply need to design a few more plays — and look his way — more when they’re in the red zone.

Stock down

Xavier Legette. Carolina’s 2024 first-round draft pick is floundering in Dave Canales’ offense. He could wind up losing his starting job to Brycen Tremayne (3 catches, 48 yards) or veteran David Moore if his production doesn’t improve. Legette was targeted eight times by Young on Sunday, but finished with one catch for minus-2 yards. For the season Legette has 8 yards on four catches despite being targeted 15 times.

Injuries

With Corbett and Hunt headed to IR, Cade Mays will start at center and Chandler Zavala at guard. Because of past injuries, both have starting experience with the Panthers. Mays has 15 starts in three seasons, including eight at center last season, and Zavala has nine in two years.

Key number

20 — Percent of games (6-24) the Panthers have won with Young as their starting quarterback.

Next steps

The Panthers host Interstate-85 rival Atlanta on Sunday in their home opener.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A disastrous start quickly turned to hope as Carolina strung together three second-half scoring drives. The Panthers beat the odds by recovering an onside kick, caught a break when a potential game-ending sack was negated by a penalty.

All that fortune and the Panthers still ended up falling just short. If only they had found their groove a little earlier.

Carolina nearly rallied from a 24-point deficit early in the third quarter behind the stellar play of quarterback Bryce Young, before falling 27-22 to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

“It’s just showing the fight of this team, a team full of guys who are going to play until the last snap, are going to believe, are always going to fight,” said Young, who threw for a career-high 328 yards and three touchdowns on 35-of-55 passing. “Obviously, you don’t want to be in that spot to start with.”

The Panthers (0-2) began the season with a flat 26-10 loss at Jacksonville. They opened Sunday’s game by getting pancaked early by the Cardinals (2-0).

Young lost a fumble on a strip sack on Carolina’s opening drive and Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins scooped it up for a 3-yard touchdown. Young was hit again on the next drive, fluttering the ball right into the hands of Arizona’s Baron Browning for an interception that set up a field goal.

Three minutes into the game, 10 points down.

“Two weeks in a row, early inflicted wounds — 10 points just like that,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said.

The Panthers seemed resigned to a second straight disheartening loss with a 17-point deficit at halftime that extended to 27-3 in the third quarter.

Then they started chipping away.

Carolina’s defense tightened, keeping Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in check as Young began picking apart their defense.

Young hit Hunter Renfrow on a 4-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, then pressure on Murray led to an interception by Panthers linebacker D.J. Wonnum at Carolina’s 12-yard line. Young went back to work, zipping passes around the field on a 14-play, 88-yard drive capped by his 5-yard touchdown pass to Chuba Hubbard.

Even after failing on the 2-point conversion, the Panthers had pulled themselves within reach, down 12 with just over five minutes left. Carolina’s defense held again and Young drove the Panthers down the field again, finding Renfrow on a 1-yard TD pass that made it 27-22 after another failed 2-point conversion.

The new NFL rules make it even tougher to convert an onside kick — the other teams knows it’s coming — but the Panthers came up with Ryan Fitzgerald’s kick after it squibbed off a Cardinals player.

That left Carolina with two minutes to go 51 yards for the winning score.

The potential game-winning drive almost ended quickly when Young was sacked on fourth down, but Arizona was called for defensive holding. The Panthers reached Arizona’s 38 after the teams traded penalties, but their hopes ended with Young on his back from a game-ending sack that counted.

“You don’t come back and make that game close without guys that are willing to fight,” said Renfrow, who had seven catches for 48 yards. “I think we proved a lot to each other that we weren’t just going to take it.”

They just needed to get it started a bit sooner.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — If the Carolina Panthers had any questions about first-round draft pick Tetairoa McMillan’s abilities, they were answered in Week 1.

Coach Dave Canales said McMillan is who he thought he was when the Panthers drafted him No. 8 overall.

The rookie wide receiver didn’t put up a huge stat line on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, catching six passes for 58 yards, but the Panthers liked the way he handled his assignments and played at full speed — which isn’t always the case with some rookies coming into the league.

“I thought he played fast,” Canales said. “I thought he looked very comfortable out there one-on-one outside. We moved him around a little bit, and he showed an ability to be able to handle that. He and Bryce (Young) were on the same page timing-wise, so I was really pleased with the way he played.”

McMillan said he “didn’t do enough” because Carolina managed just one touchdown in a 26-10 road loss.

His numbers might have raised more eyebrows had it not been for a 16-yard reception down the left sideline that was negated because of offensive holding. He also drew a defensive pass interference, which resulted in a 22-yard net gain for the Panthers.

Neither showed up in his stat sheet, of course.

And then there was the one that could have been.

McMillan had a chance to pull in a one-handed grab in the end zone from Young on a crossing route. Instead, it appeared Jaguars defensive back Tyson Campbell prematurely grabbed one of his arms as the pass arrived, impeding his ability to extend both hands and made the grab in the end zone.

No penalty was called and the ball fell incomplete.

The 6-foot-5, 212-pound McMillan bypassed blaming the officials, saying it was a ball he should have caught despite the contact. He was known for his one-handed grabs while playing for Arizona, where he caught 213 passes for a school-record 3,423 yards in three seasons, along with 26 TD receptions.

“I got to come down with it,” McMillan said. “I feel like that’s a routine catch for me. Next time the opportunity comes, I’m going to make it.”

Said Canales: “I’d love for him to come up with a big touchdown in the end zone, but he ran a beautiful route on it, and he really gave us a chance to have some explosives down the field and to just have a consistent target.”

Still McMillan’s performance was on par with what Canales and his staff saw from him in the preseason, which afforded them the option of trading veteran Adam Thielen.

On Sunday, McMillan returns to his college stomping grounds when the Panthers visit the Cardinals and will look to build on Week 1.

“I feel like the whole week leading up to the game the coaches did a good job of just explaining the coverages, the different coverages they run, and it’s everything that we expected,” McMillan said. “I’m confident in my preparation that I’ve had these these last few months, and you know the DB corps on our team has been pushing me to make sure that I’m ready for anything I get thrown my way.

“So yeah, I feel like that game was a lot easier than I expected.”

NOTES: Panthers starting left tackle Ickey Ekwonu returned to practice after missing Week 1 following an appendectomy.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Carolina’s Bryce Young has yet to play an NFL season opener he would like to remember.

Young turned the ball over three times, including two interceptions, in a 26-10 loss at Jacksonville on Sunday. He now has two touchdowns and seven turnovers in three openers, all blowout losses.

“We’re all talking about looking in the mirror,” Young said. “Of course, no one in this locker room, including myself, is looking, ‘What about this person?’ It’s all about what you can control, what you can improve because that’s all as individuals we can control.

“I’m going to look at the film, see what there is to grow on from my standpoint, and that’s going to be the mentality for everyone.”

Young completed 18 of 35 passes for 154 yards, with a TD pass to Chuba Hubbard. But the mistakes overshadowed anything he did right against the Jaguars.

His first interception was thrown into heavy traffic after rolling right. His fumble came at the end of a scramble that included an awkward slide. And his second pick ended any chance the Panthers had of rallying late.

Young also made a head-scratching throw out of the back of the end zone on a fourth-and-1 play from the 5-yard line and slammed his helmet to the ground afterward.

“Just competitive nature,” Young said. “That’s all. Probably can do a better job. I’ll definitely do a better job of body language there, but that’s on me. Just competing, and that’s all.”

He declined to blame the play call or a snap that seemed high.

“Just something that was going on with not executing,” he said. “Again, when you’re not executing, it sucks. But I have to do a better job as a leader.”

It was the third time in as many years that Young turned in a dud of a performance to open the season.

He completed 13 of 30 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-10 loss to New Orleans in 2024. And he completed 20 of 38 passes for 146 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a 24-10 loss to Atlanta in 2023.

“It’s disappointing. We’re all disappointed,” second-year Carolina coach Dave Canales said. “Felt really good about the work we put in. It did not show up today. That was something I was able to talk to the group about.”

Canales talked to his team about finishing plays and drives. The Panthers rarely did either in Jacksonville, before or after a lightning delay. Young surely will get much of the blame, but Hubbard was held to 57 yards rushing, and Hunter Renfrow and Xavier Legette combined to catch just five of 13 targets. Carolina’s defense struggled to stop the run again and failed to put much pressure on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

“Back to work,” Canales said. “Let’s go back to work. Really to Bryce, to the whole group. We have to look in the mirror. This is where we’re at today. The film is the truth. This is where we’re at. Do we have the character to keep pushing forward, to keep getting better at our fundamentals?”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young doesn’t like to talk about last season.

He says there’s no point, and that all of his attention is focused on 2025.

And perhaps it should be. There is an undeniable undercurrent in Carolina that Year 3 could be pivotal for Young when it comes to his long-term future with the Panthers, the team that mortgaged plenty of draft capital to move up eight spots to take him No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft.

Overall, the returns have not been great.

Young is 6-22 as an NFL starter and has endured his share of struggles, including getting benched by rookie head coach Dave Canales two games into the 2024 season after the Panthers were outscored 73-13. Young looked uncomfortable in the pocket early last season, and Canales recognized it. He turned to veteran Andy Dalton, giving Young a chance to regroup while saying repeatedly that Dalton gave the team the “best chance to win.”

It’s unclear if Young would’ve received another chance to start had Dalton not injured his thumb in a late-October car crash.

But Young seized the second opportunity.

And, slowly but surely, he began to show improvement.

By the end of last season the poise and confidence that had helped earned him the 2021 Heisman Trophy at Alabama was back. The swagger began to return, too, evidenced by one particular touchdown pass in Week 18 to Tommy Tremble in which the diminutive quarterback turned his back to celebrate the score before his tight end caught the football in the end zone, reminiscent of NBA star Stephen Curry launching a 3-pointer and turning to jog back downcourt knowing it was going in.

Curry, a lifelong Panthers fan, posted a picture of Young on Instagram with his back to the play and hands raised with his personal message: “Confirmed.”

Young combined for five touchdowns that day in Atlanta, capping a three-game stretch to close the season with 10 touchdowns and no turnovers. His dramatic improvement over the period gave the Panthers renewed optimism that he could be their franchise quarterback.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Canales said. “He revealed a lot of his character in that process and showed great leadership. He stayed in front of the team. He did not take a seat in the back and just kind of let this thing play out. He continued to lead. He was sending a message very clearly to me, that this is my team and I respect it.”

Young and the Panthers open the season Sunday at Jacksonville.

They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2017, and while they’d like to snap that streak, that won’t necessarily define the season. The Panthers’ roster isn’t one that can realistically compete for a Super Bowl, and general manager Dan Morgan knows that. You don’t trade away your best wide receiver (Adam Thielen) if you have visions of contending for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

What Morgan and others in the Panthers’ front office want more than anything in Year 3 is continued growth from Young.

“I want to see him continue ascending as a leader, continue to develop the chemistry with the wideouts,” Morgan said. “It takes time to develop chemistry with wideouts and understand the way they move, the way they come out of the breaks. I think the sooner that he figures that out and who’s out on the field and like just gets that feel, the better off he’s gonna be.”

Young’s goal is simpler.

“Ups and downs, good games or bad games, regardless of the situation, I just want to be consistent in my work and my progress,” Young said.

Make no doubt about it, Young has the support of his locker room.

Center Austin Corbett said Young’s ability to emerge through dark times and reclaim the starting job said volumes about his character and leadership.

“Just to take the punch like he did,” Corbett said. “I don’t think there’s many players that would have handled it like he did. The entire situation, he owned it. When he was running the scout team, he attacked that. He was still preparing like he was a starter and to me how he owned it all. So how he emerged from it, to me, is truly incredible.”

Running back Chuba Hubbard has been one of Young’s staunchest supporters since his arrival.

He said it’s only a matter of time until Young is winning again, just as he did at Mater Dei High School in California and later at Alabama, where he was 24-3 as a starter.

“Everything Bryce has shown through it all, I kind of feel like I already knew,” Hubbard said. “I saw that from the beginning. I feel like he’s been resilient, he’s been tough, he’s been a leader since the beginning. So to see him just kind of flourishing now, no, that doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

Young said through it all he never lost confidence.

“My confidence comes from God,” he said plainly.

He leaned heavily on his faith and his family, as well as teammates like Dalton. But now, he said, it is time to move on and put last season behind him. He knows Year 3 is a big one for him but also realizes he can’t succeed if he’s still thinking about the past.

“Yeah, honestly, I’m not a big look-in-the-rearview-(mirror) kind of guy,” Young said. “I’m excited for this year. I’m excited for this group this year, and I feel great. We all feel great as a team, and we’re excited to compete.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers (5-12)

Expectations

General manager Dan Morgan is taking a patient approach to building the Panthers into a winner even as the pressure of not having been to the postseason since the 2017 season hangs over the franchise. Morgan believes this is not an overnight process and he knows the Panthers aren’t quite at the level to compete for Super Bowl. It’s part of the reason the Panthers traded 35-year-old wide receiver Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week for draft picks. What the Panthers are really looking to see this season is continued growth from third-year QB Bryce Young, who overcame an unexpected early season benching in 2024 to finish the season strong. Carolina drafted Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall, marking the second straight year they’ve selected a wide receiver in Round 1. They took Xavier Legette from South Carolina in 2024. The team also has Jalen Coker, who had a strong debut season after going undrafted. The running game should be a strength, led by a rebuilt offensive line and Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard had 1,195 yards on the ground last season along with 10 touchdowns despite sitting out the last two games with an injury. Carolina added Rico Dowdle and drafted Trevor Etienne to provide depth in the backfield. The defense remains a major concern. The Panthers allowed a league-high 31.4 points per game last season. Morgan invested money in front seven, bringing in Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III and Patrick Jones. Carolina will get a big boost with the return of Pro Bowl DE Derrick Brown, who was limited to one game last season because of a knee injury. Brown had 103 tackles in 2023. If Young continues to progress, the Panthers could have a chance to compete in the NFC South.

New faces

RBs Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne, WR Tetairoa McMillan, DTs Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III, LBs Patrick Jones and Christian Rozeboom, S Tre’Von Moehrig, K Ryan Fitzgerald, P Sam Martin.

Key losses

RBs Miles Sanders and Jonathan Brooks (IR), LB Shaq Thompson, DE Amare Barno, OLB Jadeveon Clowney, CB Dane Jackson, S Xavier Woods, K Eddy Pineiro and P Johnny Hekker.

Strengths

The Panthers spent nearly $150 million upgrading their offensive line following the 2023 season, adding guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. With center Austin Corbett returning from a biceps injury and tackles Taylor Moton and Ickey Ekwonu also back, the Panthers O-line has continuity and is viewed as a major strength. All five starters are under contract through at least 2026 after Wharton received a contract extension. Carolina also has proven depth with Chandler Zavala, Brady Christensen and Cade Mays as well. Coach Dave Canales will continue to lean on the running game, potentially putting Hubbard in line for another big season.

Weaknesses

Carolina’s run defense struggled a year ago, allowing a whopping 179.8 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry, by far the worst in the league. Getting Brown back should help but it’s unclear how everyone will mesh. Carolina is counting on big things from its front three: Brown, Wharton and A’Shawn Robinson.

Camp development

Carolina’s linebacking group took a hit when Josey Jewell informed the team he would not be playing because of lingering concussion issues upon reporting to training camp. That has pressed Christian Rozeboom into a starting role alongside Trevin Wallace at inside linebacker in coordinator Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 scheme. Together, they have 24 NFL starts.

Fantasy player(s) to watch

In the aftermath of the Thielen trade, it’s unclear who’ll develop into Young’s new favorite option. McMillan and Legette are expected to start, with Jalen Coker working as the third receiver. David Moore will be the No. 4 receiver for now. Also, the team likes the development of second-year TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, who showed promise last season with 33 receptions. For now, the most reliable fantasy player on the Panthers offense is Hubbard, who is expected to be the focal point of the offense.

BetMGM Sportsbook

Win Super Bowl: 150-1.