5 bright spots from the Carolina Panthers defeat at Falcons in Week 8

Derrick Brown – Carolina Panthers DT

A lot of people, myself included, owe Derrick Brown a serious apology. After his struggles in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, many questioned whether the defensive tackle was a first-round pick and if the Carolina Panthers should pick up his fifth-year option in 2023.

Since then Brown has been slowly elevating his game to a point where you can put forward the argument he is playing at an All-Pro caliber level. Heading into Week 8, the Auburn product had an incredible 89.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking him No. 6 among interior defensive linemen across the league.

Brown put together probably his most disruptive performance since joining the Panthers and further cemented his place as one of the best defensive tackles in the league. He tallied an incredible 12 total tackles, the most by a Carolina defensive lineman since stats were made available in 2000.

One play in particular from Brown caught the eye. On a third and short, the Atlanta Falcons went to its tried and trusted zone read with quarterback Marcus Mariota. The No. 7 overall selection in 2020 shredded his double team and blew up running back Tyler Allgeier before getting a crucial tackle to save a huge gain.

If Brown continues to dominate the way he has done recently, the Panthers will pick up his option without any hesitation. And at a minimum, he should be getting a Pro Bowl selection.