After the Panthers’ embarrassing week one loss to the Jaguars I asked fans on Twitter a simple question: Have y’all lost hope in the season after one game?
I got over 700 replies that varied from abandoning the team completely, to having faith Dave Canales and company can turn it around, but the majority of the answers were a simple “yup.”
Some may say this is an extreme overreaction, but it’s been a rough ten years for Carolina fans.
After their incredible 2015 Super Bowl run the Panthers failed to make the playoffs in 2016, lost in the Wildcard round of the playoffs in 2017, saw a hopeful 2018 season derailed after a franchise-altering injury to Cam Newton in week ten against the Steelers, Ron Rivera firing in 2019, the Matt Rhule years, the Frank Reich year and the week three benching of Bryce Young in 2024.
Coming into 2025 there was hope that second-year head coach Dave Canales and third year signal caller Bryce Young could get things back on track. Those hopes quickly vanished after a 26-10 season-opening loss to the Jaguars. Panthers fans’ post-traumatic demoralization syndrome kicked in and they started declaring the season a wash after just one contest.
While the reactions are understandable given how flat the team came out and with some of the same issues that plagued the Panthers last season rearing their ugly heads, it’s way too soon to lose faith.
Rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was a bright spot. Cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson were solid in the secondary. The team had an improved 53% third down completion percentage. And despite the critics, Bryce Young made several good plays.
While it’s easy to join the “season is over” chorus after a game like Sunday, it simply isn’t realistic. The season isn’t over – it’s just getting started, so give Dave Canales and company an opportunity to get this train back on the tracks.
Now if we’re still talking about the same issues after week three…the chorus can resume.
