So what did you think was going to happen?
Bryce Young starts in Week 8 and rolls into Denver without Diontae Johnson and a banged-up defense.
If you guessed another embarrassing loss by the Carolina Panthers, you would be right.
The score may have been 28-14 in favor of the Denver Broncos, but it felt like the margin of victory was much more. Here are some observations from the Panthers’ Week 8 loss.
A Shameful Bookend
In his opening drive, Young looked sharp. He made the right reads and didn’t do too much. Short screen passes, check-downs and well-timed runs cumulated into a touchdown. Â
Unfortunately, the Panthers wouldn’t score again until garbage time when Young threw a 15-yard touchdown to Jalen Coker. The rest of their drives after the opening were five punts and a turnover on downs.
In that play, the Panthers were in 21 personnel (two running backs and one tight end) on 4th-and-2. Young elected to pass instead of handing it off to one of those backs. A run would have kept that particular drive alive.
Petty Payton
With his squad comfortably ahead, Broncos head coach Sean Payton experimented with trick plays and ran up the score. On 4th-and-2, Denver ran a fake FG and a trick play late in the game while up 28-7. Panthers CB Jaycee Horn confronted Payton after the game, letting him know they didn’t appreciate the Broncos running up the score. After the game, Payton had a brutally honest assessment of the Panthers’ offense.
“That’s not good offense we played. It’s just the truth,” he said. “We expected that. We’re going to see a lot better teams.”
Denver’s receivers weren’t just open on the routes they ran. They were comically wide open. The front seven didn’t pressure anyone. Until the defense stops opposing offenses, this level of disrespect will continue.
Locker Room Lost?
A descended and dejected vibe emanated from various Panthers as they filed into the visitors’ locker room after the game and righty so. They are on pace to win one more game this season at best, the roster is banged up and it seems as if there’s nothing to look forward to but Week 18.
The Panthers will host the Saints next Sunday.
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