Through two games, things are not going well for the Panthers and their young quarterback, Bryce Young.
The No. 1 pick of last year’s draft, Young finished Sunday’s loss to the Chargers 18-of-26 passing for just 84 yards with an interception. He also had one run for 6 yards.
The Panthers have scored just 13 points over their first two games, converting only 2-of-22 third down attempts. The club has 18 first downs.
Things are already at the point where new head coach Dave Canales was asked in his postgame press conference if Young would still be the starting quarterback for next week’s game against the Raiders.
“Bryce is our quarterback,” Canales said. “We’re going to just continue to shore up and fix the things we need to fundamentally, from a scheme standpoint, all those things. These are all valuable reps, all valuable games. We’ll learn a lot from this game and hopefully will take another step [next] week.”
Veteran receiver Adam Thielen defended Young when speaking to reporters in the locker room after the game.
“I love Bryce, man. He works his butt off. He’s a great player,” Thielen said. “This is not a Bryce Young issue. This is an offensive team issue. We are all in this together. I know football is — it’s why I love this game with everything I have — because it is the greatest team game. It’s not about an individual. It’s not basketball where you can have one or two good players and have success. In this league, in this game, you have to have 11 guys on the same page to have individual success. There is no individual on this offense that is to blame. It’s a collective thing.
“I’m excited about where we can go, but we need to figure out how to have urgency to get that done.”
As for maintaining Young’s confidence, Canales said, “It’s about the process.”
“Just go right back to work regardless of the outcomes,” Canales said. “We have to continue to have that discipline, to go back to our fundamentals, to fix our basics, to continue to become us, figure out the things that we have to do to be successful.”
The Chargers had no trouble handling the Panthers in Week 2, coming away with a 26-3 victory in Charlotte.
Los Angeles ran all over Carolina, finishing with 219 yards on the ground. After a strong season opener, the J.K. Dobbins once again led the way with 131 yards — including a 43-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter.
Quarterback Justin Herbert even had 18 yards on the ground, with one of his carries going for 13 yards.
While Herbert had two turnovers — a pick and a fumble — he was mostly efficient throughout the contest. He finished 14-of-20 for 130 yards with two touchdowns.
After the play where he fumbled in the second half, Herbert got up slowly and briefly went into the sideline medical tent. But he did not miss a snap and was back on the field for Los Angeles’ next possession.
Receiver Quentin Johnston had the first multi-touchdown game of his career, as he opened the scoring with a 29-yard scoring strike in the first quarter. He then caught a 5-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
On the other side, Carolina’s offense once again looked listless. Quarterback Bryce Young struggled mightily, finishing 18-of-26 for just 84 yards with an interception. He was 8-of-10 for 22 yards in the first half.
The Panthers were 1-of-12 on third down and recorded just seven first downs.
By contrast, Los Angeles was 9-of-14 on third down and had 21 first downs.
The Chargers are now 2-0 for the first time since 2012. The club will stay in Charlotte for the week before taking on the Steelers in Pittsburgh next Sunday.
Carolina is 0-2 and it looks like it could be a long season ahead. The Panthers will be on the road to face the Raiders next week.
Quentin Johnston has two touchdown catches as the Chargers lead the Panthers 20-0 at halftime.
It’s the first multi-touchdown game of Johnston’s career.
The 2023 first-round pick opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown reception to cap Los Angeles’ opening possession. Then he caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to finish an 11-play, 65-yard drive.
J.K. Dobbins had the team’s third touchdown, running it in for a 43-yard score after Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw an interception.
As one could’ve expected after defensive tackle Derrick Brown was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, the Chargers are running all over the Panthers. The team has 134 yards on the ground in the first 30 minutes, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Dobbins leads with 85 yards. Gus Edwards has 27 yards on eight carries. Quarterback Justin Herbert has 22 yards on three carries.
Aside from one poor decision that resulted in an interception, Herbert has been efficient throwing it. He’s 7-of-11 passing for 70 yards with two touchdowns and the pick.
Kicker Cameron Dicker missed the first extra point of his career after Johnston’s first touchdown, but has made the next two.
On the other side, yet again Carolina’s offense has looked listless. The Panthers did not register a first down until there were four minutes left in the second quarter and finished the half with just two first downs.
Carolina has 54 total yards, as Young finished the first half 8-of-10 for 22 yards with an interception.
The Panthers will receive the second-half kickoff.
The Chargers have struck first in their matchup with the Panthers.
Receiver Quentin Johnston caught his first touchdown pass of 2024 to cap Los Angeles’ first drive. But Cameron Dicker missed the extra point, keeping the score at 6-0, L.A.
The Chargers nearly had a turnover in Carolina territory when quarterback Justin Herbert evaded defenders in the pocket to somehow get a pass off to tight end Eric Tomlinson. Tomlinson got his hands on it but the ball came loose and it was initially ruled a fumble recovered by the Panthers. But that fumble was overturned to an incomplete pass on review.
Herbert has started the game 3-of-4 for 43 yards with a touchdown, with Johnston catching a pair of those passes for 32 yards.
Dicker had never missed an extra point in 60 tries in his young career.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
There never seemed to be a chance that quarterback Jordan Love would play for the Packers this week, but the team declined to rule him out ahead of Sunday’s game against the Colts. They did downgrade him to doubtful on Saturday, however, and he is officially out after being placed on the inactive list 90 minutes ahead of kickoff.
Malik Willis will start for the Packers and he will have wide receiver Jayden Reed available to catch passes. Reed was listed as questionable due to calf and shin injuries.
The Colts will be without wide receiver Josh Downs again this week because of an ankle injury, but defensive tackle DeForest Buckner will play despite a back injury.
Colts at Packers
Colts: WR Josh Downs, QB Sam Ehlinger, DB Julian Blackmon, OL Tanor Bortolini, OL Blake Freeland, TE Will Mallory, DL Genard Avery
Packers: QB Jordan Love, S Kitan Oladapo, DL Brenton Cox Jr., T Andre Dillard, T Travis Glover, DL Colby Wooden
Jets at Titans
Jets: CB D.J. Reed, T Max Mitchell, T Carter Warren, DL Leonard Taylor, DL Eric Watts, RB Israel Abanikanda
Titans: DB Julius Wood, LB Caleb Murphy, LB James Williams, OL John Ojukwu, TE David Martin-Robinson, TE Thomas Odukoya
Raiders at Ravens
Raiders: DE Tyree Wilson, CB Decamerion Richardson, RB Dylan Laube, OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, WR Tyreik McAllister, WR Ramel Keyton, S Thomas Harper
Ravens: WR Devontez Walker, OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, OL Nick Samac, LB Adisa Isaac, CB Nate Wiggins, CB T.J. Tampa, S Beau Brade
Browns at Jaguars
Browns: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, CB Kahlef Hailassie, G Javion Cohen, T Jedrick Wills, T Jack Conklin, WR Jamari Thrash, TE David Njoku
Jaguars: S Darnell Savage, OL Javon Foster, OL Cole Van Lanen, DL Tyler Lacy, DL Maason Smith, DL Jordan Jefferson
49ers at Vikings
49ers: QB Josh Dobbs, S Talanoa Hufanga, CB Darrell Luter, G Ben Bartch, LB Dee Winters
Vikings: QB Brett Rypien, WR Jordan Addison, T Walter Rouse, DL Levi Drake Rodriguez, DL Jalen Redmond, CB Fabian Moreau, CB Dwight McGlothern
Chargers at Panthers
Chargers: S Alohi Gilman, WR Brenden Rice, RB Kimani Vidal, DL Justin Eboigbe, OL Jordan McFadden, QB Taylor Heinicke, CB Tarheeb Still
Panthers: CB Chau Smith-Wade, CB Shemar Bartholomew, RB Mike Boone, C Andrew Raym, G Jarrett Kingston, TE Messiah Swinson
Seahawks at Patriots
Seahawks: RB Kenneth Walker, T George Fant, LB Uchenna Nwosu, OL Olu Oluwatimi, TE Pharaoh Brown, OL Michael Jerrell, OL Sataoa Laumea
Patriots: G Sidy Sow, WR Kayshon Boutte, OL Demontrey Jacobs, LB Curtis Jacobs, QB Joe Milton
Saints at Cowboys
Saints: WR A.T. Perry, QB Spencer Rattler, CB Marshon Lattimore, DT Khalen Saunders, LB D’Marco Jackson, LB Jaylan Ford, TE Dallin Holker
Cowboys: TE Jake Ferguson, QB Trey Lance, CB Andrew Booth, LB Buddy Johnson, WR Ryan Flournoy, TE John Stephens Jr., OT Matt Waletzko
Giants at Commanders
Giants: S Anthony Johnson, CB Nick McCloud, LB Darius Muasau, LB Boogie Basham, G Jake Kubas, QB Tommy DeVito
Commanders: CB Emmanuel Forbes, DE Jamin Davis, G Chris Paul, LB Dominique Hampton, WR Jamison Crowder, S Darrick Forrest, QB Sam Hartman
Buccaneers at Lions
Buccaneers: TE Devin Culp, T Luke Goedeke, CB Josh Hayes, DL Calijah Kancey, LB Jose Ramirez, DL Ben Stille, S Antoine Winfield
Lions: DL Marcus Davenport, S Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB Ennis Rakestraw, LB Trevor Nowaske, OL Giovanni Manu, WR Isaiah Williams
