10 quick thoughts from the Carolina Panthers loss at Bengals in Week 9

Carolina Panthers had no answer for Joe Mixon

The Carolina Panthers were out of this game long before halftime. This was thanks in no small part to their inability to successfully counteract the substantial threat posed by Joe Mixon.

This was a walk in the park for Mixon, who tormented Carolina from start to finish en route to 153 rushing yards and five combined touchdowns. An unacceptable performance from a run defense that continues to display almost no gap discipline on the edge or at the second level.

Rough afternoon for P.J. Walker

It was not the game P.J. Walker had in mind after gaining some real momentum over the last two weeks. The former XFL MVP candidate returned to the inconsistent presence we’ve seen under center since joining the team, with his first-half showing coming with a 0.0 passer rating according to ESPN.

Walker didn’t get much better before he was eventually benched for Baker Mayfield. Whether this forces the Panthers into yet another permanent change at football’s most important position is another matter.

An embarrassing first half for the Carolina Panthers

35-0. That was the deficit at halftime after an embarrassing collective effort from the Panthers.

Any semblance of positivity surrounding Carolina after Week 8 completely disintegrated in front of our eyes. All three phases were nothing short of pathetic and left a lot to be desired, leaving the Panthers back to square one under interim head coach Steve Wilks.