Trailing 28-20 late in the fourth quarter, the Carolina Panthers found themselves in enemy territory. Thanks to the continued efforts of RB Chuba Hubbard and the offensive line, the Panthers were able to put themselves in position to tie the Atlanta Falcons.
Instead of doing the smart thing and continuing to feed Hubbard the ball, head coach Dave Canales called a play action rollout pass to Ian Thomas. The veteran tight end, never known for his prowess as a route runner or pass catcher, failed to separate from his man as QB Andy Dalton fired a back-breaking interception.
To make a head-scratching decision even more confusing, starting wideouts Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette, who each had a touchdown reception, were on the sideline for the play that ended Carolina’s hopes of a comeback on Sunday.
Putting The Loss In Context
The aforementioned Canales, whose team is now 1-5 after the 38-20 loss to Atlanta, has continued to confuse and infuriate Carolina’s fans. The promise to run the football that Canales reiterated before the season has yet to be fulfilled. Each week, the play caller has taken the ball out of his running back’s hands in critical moments, only for the offense to falter under a weak passing attack.
With Hubbard averaging nearly six(!) yards per carry, that’s almost unforgivable.
The 36-22 shellacking of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 feels like a distant memory for Carolina now, fading further away with each poor pass attempt and missed tackle. The Panthers continue to fail at even the most basic levels of football, now allowing nearly 34 points per game. If you hadn’t guessed, yes, that’s the worst in the league right now.
After the Vegas win, it was easy to point the finger at QB Bryce Young for Carolina’s early struggles. Andy Dalton, however, has run out of magic, and the defense has continued to fail to stop any offense thus far. Dalton made some decent throws against Atlanta, including the two aforementioned touchdowns, but the decision-making and play calling over the last few weeks have been lackluster at best. Coupled with a patchwork defense that is currently missing over half of its starters due to injuries, the recipe for Carolina continues to result in losses.
Unfortunately for them, this isn’t a situation that can be remedied in one offseason, despite the fact that we’ve seen that very thing happen over the past two years.
What Does A Fix Look Like For Carolina?
Over the last two seasons, Houston and Washington have both utilized their immense cap space and plethora of draft picks to put together tough playoff contending teams. The influx of young talent combined with veteran signings have made the Texans and Commanders forget about the term “rebuild.” They are instead able to look ahead to a brighter future, led by their young franchise QBs and the talent they’ve surrounded each of them with.
On the other hand, the Panthers currently have the least amount of cap space in the league and are projected to have only $41 million in cap space next season. For reference, that would be less cap space than nearly two-thirds of the rest of the league in 2025. They also have very little young talent on the roster, fielding one of the top five oldest rosters in the NFL based on average age. Don’t forget that Carolina doesn’t have their own second round pick, either. That belongs to Chicago as the final piece of the infamous Bryce Young trade.
In short, the Panthers are STILL in need of a true rebuild, and STILL don’t have the assets needed for a true rebuild.
Looking ahead, Carolina faces a gauntlet the rest of the way. In their 11 remaining games, they’ll face Washington, Denver, New Orleans, the New York Giants, Kansas City, Tampa Bay (twice), Philadelphia, Dallas, Arizona, and Atlanta once more. While Denver, New Orleans, and New York have struggled, each team has so far proven to be better than Carolina on at least one side of the ball.
There’s a real chance that the Carolina Panthers finish the 2024 season with a 1-16 record, which would, amazingly, be worse than their paltry 2023 campaign that saw them win only two games.
Canales continues to preach patience, but the writing is on the wall. The 2024 season is all but over for Carolina, and who’s to say if David Tepper will allow Canales and company another season? The embattled owner has never been known as a patient man. Time is running out, and the impatience among the fanbase is beginning to be replaced with indifference.
It sadly seems that there’s no clear path ahead. Without talent, cap space, or draft picks, there’s little chance this chaos will be leaving Carolina any time soon.
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