Ryan Fitzgerald has built a strange kind of trust in Carolina: the longer the field goal, the calmer the moment feels. The shorter kick - the one that’s supposed to be automatic - is where things start to wobble.
Through four games, Fitzgerald is perfect on field goals at 9-for-9. He’s gone 3-for-3 from 40 to 49 yards, hit his only try from 50-plus, and drilled a long of 53 yards. If that were the whole picture, this would be a simple story about a kicker the Panthers can lean on.
It isn’t that simple. Fitzgerald is 10-for-13 on extra points, with one miss against Chicago and two more against Detroit. That’s the twist here: the routine kicks have been the uneasy ones, while the longer attempts have felt almost routine.
The Cleveland game really drove that home. Carolina spent most of the afternoon struggling to reach the end zone, and Fitzgerald ended up carrying the scoring load. He went 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 53-yarder, and accounted for Carolina’s first 12 points.
What stood out most, though, was the feeling in the moment. A 53-yard try is supposed to tighten the shoulders.
With Fitzgerald, it didn’t. There was confidence there, even from that distance, because he’s earned it.
Detroit brought the other side of the equation. Fitzgerald made both of his field-goal attempts but missed two extra points. Carolina still came away with a 32-26 win, so the misses didn’t decide anything that day, but they were hard to ignore.
This still doesn’t look like a kicker problem in the usual sense. Fitzgerald was a rookie last season and went 4-for-4 on game-winning field-goal attempts, which says plenty about how he handles pressure. That’s part of what makes this so hard to sort out: he’s been flawless on the kicks that feel biggest and shakier on the ones that should be easiest.
Maybe the bye fixes the extra-point issues and this fades away. That would be ideal, because three missed extra points shouldn’t overshadow how good he’s been on field goals. But Carolina is headed into close games, and at some point, a single point could matter.
So for now, that’s the puzzle with Fitzgerald.
In Other News...
Panthers Finally Get Two Key Linemen Back In A Crucial Stretch
The Panthers are getting a little healthier at a time when every snap matters, with head coach Dave Canales announcing that defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton and offensive tackle Taylor Moton have been designated to return to practice. Both have been on the shelf for a while, Wharton after neck surgery and Moton because of a blood clot in his lung, so simply getting them back on the field is an important step for a team trying to stabilize both lines.
Now the clock starts on a 21-day window that will determine whether either player makes it back to the 53-man roster before the season moves on without them. Wharton and Moton give Carolina a chance to add depth and experience in two critical spots, but the Panthers still have to navigate the next few weeks carefully, with each player needing to show enough in practice to earn activation rather than remain sidelined for the rest of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Finally Have Injury Hope With One Big Week 6 Catch
For a Panthers team that has spent much of the early season managing injuries as much as matchups, there is finally some encouraging news on the horizon. Coach Dave Canales said wide receiver Jalen Coker is on track to return from a quadriceps injury for Week 6, with the next few practices serving as the final checkpoint. Carolina has stayed in the mix by going 2-2 and sitting atop the NFC South, but getting another piece back in the passing game would give the offense a welcome boost.
There is also movement elsewhere on the roster, with offensive tackle Taylor Moton and defensive lineman Turk Wharton having their practice windows opened. That does not guarantee an immediate return, but it does signal that both players are moving in the right direction as Carolina tries to build some stability entering a pivotal stretch. For a team still trying to piece together its healthiest version, the coming week could matter almost as much for who gets back on the field as for what happens in the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Canales Used The Bye Week To Address A Panthers Concern
Dave Canales spent Carolinas bye week doing more than simply giving the Panthers a break. With the team sitting at 2-2 and holding first place in the NFC South, the head coach used the downtime to revisit the kind of game-management details that can swing close contests, pointing to recent decisions around the league as teaching moments for his own group. It was the sort of self-scouting message that fits a team trying to stay ahead in a division race while still tightening up the basics.
The timing matters, too, because Carolina comes out of the break with the Eagles next on the schedule. Canales referenced the kinds of controversial calls made by Nick Sirianni and Dan Quinn that altered outcomes for their teams, a reminder that late-game choices can shape far more than the final minute. For a Panthers team that has shown enough to lead the division but still has plenty to clean up, the bye became a chance to stress how quickly those decisions can turn a good week into a frustrating one. [Read more 🡒]