Coming off their first win of the season, Carolina welcomes the Indianapolis Colts to Bank of America Stadium in Week 8.
All time, this will mark the eighth matchup between the two teams with Carolina leading the series 5-2. The Panthers also lead the series in Carolina, 2-1, including a 13-10 win in the Panthers inaugural season at Clemson University. The last time the two teams faced off in Charlotte was 2015 with the Panthers defeating the Colts 29-26 in overtime.
The Panthers welcome another AFC South opponent this week after defeating the Houston Texans, 15-13, in Week 8. Carolina will face the remainder of the conference when they travel to Tennessee in Week 12 and Jacksonville in Week 17.
Led by first-year head coach Shane Steichen, the Colts enter Week 9 with a 3-5 record. Indianapolis is coming off a home loss to the New Orleans Saints, 38-27.
The Matchup
About Carolina
- QB Bryce Young led his first-career game-winning drive in a 15-13 victory against the Houston Texans in Week 8. Young orchestrated a 15-play, 86-yard drive starting at the Panthers’ 9-yard line that took 6:17 off the clock to set up a Eddy Pineiro 23-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
- Through eight games, Bryce Young currently ranks fourth in the NFC with a 93.3 passer rating in the fourth quarter of games.
- Through the slate of 1 p.m. games, LB Frankie Luvu is the only player in the NFL this season to record at least 50 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Luvu is also the first player to record those stats through the first eight weeks of a season since Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Devin White in 2020. He is also the only Panther in team history to achieve this feat.
- Brian Burns is currently tied for eighth in the NFC with five sacks and tied for
seventh with eight tackles for loss. He is just one of six players in the NFC with
at least five sacks and eight tackles for loss through the first seven weeks of
the season.
- Through seven games, defensive end Derrick Brown has tallied 35 tackles (19 solo), one sack, five QB hits and two tackles for loss. His nine tackles in week one are the second-most he has posted in a game in his career (12 against Atlanta in Week 8 of the 2022 season).
- This season, Adam Thielen has had at least seven receptions in six-consecutive games, the second longest streak ever by a Panthers player behind Christian McCaffrey’s run of seven straight in 2019.
About Indianapolis
- Indianapolis is the only team this season to score at least 20 points in every game this season. It marks the first time Indianapolis has started a season with eight consecutive games of 20-plus points since 2014. The Colts rank sixth in the NFL in points scored outside of the red zone (64).
- In 2023, Colts running back Zack Moss has tallied 125 carries for 589 yards and five touchdowns. Despite missing one game, he ranks in the top-five in the NFL in rushing yards, rushing yards per game (84.1), rushing first downs (30) and 10+ yard rushes (15).
- Indianapolis rookie wide receiver Josh Downs has recorded 40 receptions for 473 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks first in receptions and receiving yards through a rookie Colts player’s first eight games.
- In Week 7 vs. CLE, Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two touchdowns. He became the first player in franchise history to accomplish that feat and the second NFL player in 2023 to do so. Minshew II is one of 10 quarterbacks since 2019 to accomplish that feat in a single game.
- Indianapolis linebacker Zaire Franklin has compiled 102 tackles (64 solo), 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble this season. He ranks first in the NFL in tackles and solo tackles.
Connections
- Colts QB Gardner Minshew II played at East Carolina from 2016-2017.
- Colts WR Josh Downs played at North Carolina from 2020-2022.
- Colts LB Shaquille Leonard is a native of Lake View, S.C., and attended Lake View HS. He went on to play college football at South Carolina State from
2014-2017.
- Colts DE Tyquan Lewis is a native of Tarboro, N.C., and attended Tarboro HS.
Panthers vs Colts
- All-Time Series: 7 total matchups | Carolina leads 5-2
- Last Regular Season Game: 12/22/19 | Indianapolis 38 vs Carolina 6
- Series Record at Carolina (REGULAR SEASON): Carolina leads 2-1
- Current Streak: Indianapolis won the last meeting
How to Watch
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET CBS – Kevin Harlan – Play by Play; Trent Green – Color; Melanie Collins – Sideline
Live Stream: Panthers.com
Radio: WRFX 99.7FM in Charlotte market – Anish Shroff (Play by Play), Kurt Coleman (Color), Jim Szoke (Color), Kevin Donnalley (Sideline)
Per Release
Slow Starts Continue to Plague Tar Heels