The Carolina Panthers may be catching the kind of break that can shape an early-season stretch.
First comes a trip to Atlanta, where the Falcons are set to start Cooper Rush at quarterback after his rough Week 1 showing in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rush finished that game with a 2.6 QBR, and Atlanta is in that spot because Michael Penix Jr. is still working back from last year’s ACL tear while Tua Tagovailoa is dealing with an oblique injury.
Then Carolina heads to Cleveland, and the Browns may not be in any better shape under center.
Deshaun Watson is still the starter for now, but his opener against Jacksonville was ugly: 202 passing yards and a 40.0 QBR, which ranks 26th in the league. Even so, Watson’s hold on the job may not last much longer. ESPN’s Ian Rapoport reported that Cleveland is considering a quarterback change for its Week 3 meeting with the Panthers.
Rapoport wrote:
“Deshaun Watson will make his second straight start on the road to open the season for the Browns -- and after that, Cleveland will make its evaluation. While no firm decision has been made for Week 3, the belief is that the first two games would serve as a natural evaluation point. In other words, the Browns could use the return to Cleveland for their Week 3 home opener and a two-game sample size as the impetus for a quarterback change.”
If Cleveland does pull the trigger, Shedeur Sanders would be the one taking over.
The former Colorado standout entered the 2025 draft conversation as one of the top quarterbacks in the class, only to fall all the way to the fifth round. As a rookie, he started seven games for Cleveland and went 3-4 while completing 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Sanders’ first season wasn’t pretty, but he also wasn’t working in ideal conditions under former head coach Kevin Stefanski, who is now with the Falcons. With a new staff and another year under his belt, Sanders could look a lot different if the Browns decide Week 3 is the time to make the switch.
In Other News...
Panthers May Have Found The Defensive Difference-Maker They Paid For
A week after looking like he was still finding his footing, Devin Lloyd delivered the kind of game the Panthers had in mind when they brought him in. Against the Falcons in Week 2, the linebacker was everywhere, piling up tackles, disrupting plays in the backfield, getting home for a sack and finishing with a pair of interceptions, one of them going back for a touchdown.
It was the kind of all-around defensive impact that can reshape how a game feels in real time, and it came with a historical nod attached to it, too, drawing comparisons to Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams. For Carolina, the bigger question now is whether this was the start of something bigger or just the rare peak of a player who has already shown he can swing a game in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Face A Tough Defensive Test With Week 2 Inactives Set
The Panthers head into their Week 2 matchup with Atlanta already having to sort through a familiar kind of early-season roster shuffle. Bobby Brown III and Pat Jones are among the inactive players, joining Ja'Tavion Sanders, Haynes King, Chau Smith-Wade, Tyrel Dodson and Albert Reese on the sideline as Carolina trims down to its game-day group.
There is some good news in the mix, though, with Jalen Coker cleared to play after working back from an ankle injury. In a game that will put Carolinas defense under an immediate test, the availability of key depth pieces could matter just as much as the names missing from the list, especially with a divisional opponent waiting and no shortage of pressure on the Panthers to hold up on that side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Fast Start Against Falcons Has Fans Watching One Big Thing
The Panthers came out of their Week 2 meeting with the Falcons looking much sharper than they did in the opener, and the kind of early burst fans have been waiting for finally showed up. Darren Waller finding the end zone for his first Carolina touchdown gave the offense a lift, while the defense added pressure with sacks and turnovers to help set the tone in a game that already felt more lively and connected than last weeks effort.
What makes it interesting from here is whether that start can turn into something the Panthers can actually build on once the game settles in. The broadcast gave fans a clear look at the improvement, and with the schedule moving quickly into the next stretch, this is the sort of performance Carolina needs to see repeat itself before anyone starts trusting the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]