Loser No. 2
Tre'von Moehrig - Carolina Panthers S
The Carolina Panthers' bend-but-don't-break defense held their own, for the most part. But one ongoing frustration is their inability to contain mobile quarterbacks.
Deshaun Watson looks healthy, and his athleticism is an underrated part of his game. The Panthers allowed him to break contain way too often, and there were several blown assignments from veteran safety Tre'von Moehrig throughout the contest.
Moehrig had an outstanding first season with Carolina in 2025. He's a tone-setting presence at his best, but he's been inconsistent to start this campaign. The TCU product had countless chances to make impact plays on the ball carrier, and he largely failed to capitalize on them.
There is no doubt that Moehrig is too good to be held down for long. However, being more disciplined and reacting quicker to what's going on in front of him is crucial to get his influence back on track.
Anything less, and it'll be a major issue.
Winner No. 2
Ryan Fitzgerald - Carolina Panthers PK
The Panthers offense struggled to get anything going for long in this one. Something just felt off throughout, with Cleveland's defensive front piling pressure on quarterback Bryce Young and the gifted defensive backfield shutting things down on the outside.
They were in good positions, but they couldn't come through when the field got smaller near the red zone. That left them settling for field goals, which placed Ryan Fitzgerald under the microscope.
Fitzgerald was a revelation in his first season, emerging from undrafted obscurity to become Carolina's long-term option at the position. He added to these growing credentials in Week 3, making all four of his field goal attempts.
This included a game-best from 53 yards, which was encouraging. Things might not have gone Carolina's way overall, but fans know they have a model of stability at kicker in Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald kept Carolina in the contest until very late. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to secure what would have been an important victory on the road.
Loser No. 3
Luke Fortner - Carolina Panthers OL
As mentioned earlier, the Panthers' offensive line struggled against Cleveland's forceful defensive front. They seized the initiative early and never relinquished it, putting Bryce Young under pressure almost every time he dropped back to pass.
This is a big problem, and veteran center Luke Fortner's frailties are a big reason why.
The Panthers took a massive risk this offseason. They opted to let starting center Cade Mays walk in free agency, replacing him with Fortner. He might be a stopgap until Sam Hecht is ready to assume starting responsibilities, but Carolina may want to speed up the rookie's process now.
Fortner was credited with giving up four pressures against the Browns. He never looked comfortable — slow to the contact point and lacking the recovery techniques needed to keep interior linemen out of the backfield. With Robert Hunt struggling and Damien Lewis missing reps due to injury, this was exposed more than ever.
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