Following a bye week to regroup after an 0-6 start, the Panthers have a shot to get their first win of the season against the Houston Texans in week 8. The Texans, who have exceeded expectations thus far, sit at 3-3. They’re still very much in the race for the AFC South title, especially if they can pull off the win in Carolina this weekend. The Panthers will look to dash their division title hopes, all while finally getting on track themselves. Even outside of the obvious motivation of needing a win, there’s a little more at stake in this one given the quarterback matchup.
In late April of this year, the Panthers and Texans both added what they hope to be the future face of their franchise. The Panthers selected Bryce Young with the first pick in the draft, followed by the Texans selecting C.J. Stroud with the second. It was a touching moment for two long time friends as they saw their NFL dreams become realized. Now, six months later, they’ll face off for the first time as starting quarterbacks of NFL teams.
Stroud’s journey has been ideal so far, lighting it up through his six games and earning national recognition. He even began his career with 191 pass attempts before throwing an interception, which is an NFL record. As for Young, the beginning of his career hasn’t been so easy. He’s been placed in a struggling offense, and has seen limited success despite some flashes of potential.
It’s hard to gauge the head-to-head talent of these two, as they would likely fare very differently if they swapped places. The Texans are the better team right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Stroud will have the better career. While their seventh career games also won’t tell the full story, seeing them face off will provide an eye test, while also driving certain media narratives.
If Stroud outperforms Young, or simply gets the win, the conversations about the Panthers making the wrong pick will intensify. If Young gets the best of Stroud, he’ll regain some favor with the national media. It likely won’t matter too much in the long run, but both organizations and their fans would love to see their rookie signal-caller upstage the other.
The other major story of the week for the Panthers is that Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown will take over play-calling duties for the offense. Brown was hired this offseason after spending some time as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Rams. He was noted as having a major role in designing the Rams offense that led them to a victory in Super Bowl LVI.
Now he’ll get the chance to take the lead in game planning for his new team. This is a move most fans were waiting for, as the play-calling has left a lot to be desired thus far. We’ve seen numerous questionable decisions through six games, as well as heavy limitations on the team’s rookie quarterback. The hope is that Brown will reinvigorate this offense, helping them grab their first win of the year, and many more afterwards.
The biggest challenge for Brown will be helping the offense settle into a groove. They’ve had impressive moments, usually led by Adam Thielen, but have failed to produce consistently. In their last outing they jumped out to a 14-0 lead over the Dolphins, but failed to score on offense for the rest of the game. They lost by a score of 42-21, with a defensive touchdown adding their last seven points. This has happened on numerous occasions thus far, as they also squandered halftime leads against the Seahawks and Vikings.
A big part of coaching in football is helping your team maneuver after the opponent’s halftime adjustments. We simply haven’t seen that with the Panthers this year, as the offense has continually stalled out in crunch time. If Brown can help the offense find a rhythm and remain in it, the Panthers have a shot to start winning games. If they continue to falter after the opposition pivots, it’ll likely be more of the same.
Hopes of a division title seem like a distant memory at this point, but anything is possible in the NFL. The Falcons currently lead the way in the division at 4-3, while the Saints and Buccaneers sit at 3-4 after Tampa Bay’s loss on Thursday Night Football. Catching up would require a complete collapse by these teams, but the priority should be putting a tally in the win column.
A victory could also help elevate our pick, which the Bears own, out of the number one slot. This doesn’t really do anything for the Panthers, but it would be crushing to earn the top selection, without actually getting the player. We’ll see what Thomas Brown can do with the offense this week, followed by what moves the front office will make at the trade deadline on Tuesday.
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Featured image courtesy of the Carolina Panthers.
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