Game day brings a quick turnaround and a brutal test for the Carolina Panthers, who head to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. After back-to-back wins over the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina had started to earn some trust. Then came last Sunday’s collapse against the Buccaneers, a 43-13 loss that wiped out plenty of the goodwill the Panthers had built.
That defeat was ugly in the trenches. Carolina got pummeled on the ground, giving up more than 250 rushing yards, and Bryce Young spent the afternoon under siege, pressured on 68% of his dropbacks.
If this team is for real, it has to answer in Green Bay. If not, Thursday could make that painfully clear.
The confidence meter around this group has taken a hit after what happened against Tampa Bay. Before that loss, this probably would have landed around a five or six. Now it has to come down after such a rough defensive showing.
The plan against a Buccaneers team without Emeka Egbuka and with Baker Mayfield back in the lineup wearing a glove on his throwing hand was plain enough: stop the run. Instead, Carolina looked unprepared from the start and never adjusted once it became clear Tampa Bay was committed to staying on the ground.
That’s what makes the performance even harder to swallow than the Week 1 loss to the Bears. Chicago’s rushing damage came with Caleb Williams in the mix as one of the game’s most dangerous scramblers. Tampa Bay, by contrast, was the kind of opponent the Panthers should have handled more cleanly.
Now the attention shifts to Josh Jacobs, who is back for the Packers and remains one of the league’s more dependable backs. Against a Carolina run defense that was shredded a week ago, Green Bay has every reason to feed Jacobs early. If the Panthers can’t slow that down - especially against what has been a bad rushing team in Green Bay - then the panic button starts to look justified.
Young’s performance in the Tampa Bay loss was rough, no question. But it’s also hard to ask much of any quarterback when the protection breaks down the way it did.
Sunday marked the first time since 2025 that Young has had catastrophic turnovers, and outside of that outing he’s been playing at a Pro Bowl level. One bad game doesn’t erase what has been an excellent season and a real jump forward for him.
So Young’s confidence level doesn’t take a major tumble just yet. A night like this could change that if the turnovers show up again, but that remains to be seen. He may not put on a fireworks show against Green Bay, but a cleaner, more efficient outing is the expectation.
The Panthers’ offensive line is also in rough shape. Taylor Moton returned against the Eagles at right tackle, but didn’t make it through two full games before suffering a fractured fibula in Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay, an injury that will likely end his season. Damien Lewis, the left guard, is out for Thursday Night Football with a knee injury after missing practice all week.
And even with those issues, Carolina can at least breathe a little easier knowing Micah Parsons won’t be lining up on Thursday. That doesn’t mean the pass protection is in the clear, though. Rasheed Walker has had a rough stretch at left tackle and just allowed three sacks on his own last game.
Even without Parsons, Young could be under heat again.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Have A Trade Deadline Problem In The Secondary
The Panthers have spent the weeks leading up to the trade deadline looking for help at cornerback after injuries hit Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, and the market has already started to come into focus. ESPN has tied Carolina to a pair of possible targets in Riq Woolen and Donte Jackson, giving the team at least a couple of paths to patch up a position group that has suddenly become a concern.
Woolen would bring the bigger upside if Carolina wanted to swing for impact, even if there are obvious questions attached to his play. Jackson, meanwhile, would offer a more familiar kind of solution and could help stabilize the spot sooner rather than later. Either way, the Panthers appear to have a real deadline decision to make if they want to keep the secondary from becoming an even bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Secondary Just Took Another Hit Before Jordan Love Test
The Panthers secondary took another blow this week when Akayleb Evans was placed on injured reserve with knee and triceps injuries, knocking him out for Sundays matchup with the Packers. Evans had stepped into a starting role over the last three games, giving Carolina some needed stability in a back end that has already been stretched thin by injuries to Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson.
Now the Panthers are heading into Week 8 with even less margin for error against Green Bay and quarterback Jordan Love, who has been productive through the air this season. For a defense already trying to patch together its coverage plan, losing another corner only adds to the pressure to find answers quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Secondary Suddenly Faces A Brutal Test In Green Bay
With the Panthers heading into Thursday nights game in Green Bay, the secondary has been thinned to the point where roster depth is now part of the weekly game plan. Carolina is elevating veteran cornerback Marco Wilson from the practice squad as the injuries continue to pile up, leaving the team with just two healthy cornerbacks on the active roster.
Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are on injured reserve, while Akayleb Evans is sidelined with injuries, and the challenge does not stop there. The Panthers will also be without pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and left guard Damien Lewis, adding more pressure to a short-handed group that is about to be tested under the lights against the Packers. [Read more 🡒]