4 Carolina Panthers who could see reduced playing time in Week 6 vs. Falcons
By Luke Gray
After two weeks of competitiveness for the Carolina Panthers, it was much of the same old for the team as they were embarrassed by the Chicago Bears. The defense made Caleb Williams look every bit the No. 1 pick after he struggled to begin his NFL career.
While the worry at the beginning of the season was always that the Carolina defense would find life difficult, the loss of both Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson to season-ending injuries meant the Panthers lost cornerstone pieces, and it shows. Ejiro Evero’s unit has not given up under 22 points in any contest in 2024 so far.
It’s hard to see that trend ending when the Panthers face Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. They are coming off an extended rest following a dramatic overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in which they racked up 550 yards of total offense.
Cousins passed for a franchise-record 509 yards, so the challenge awaiting Carolina cannot be underestimated. After a very disappointing outing in Week 5, head coach Dave Canales will be expecting a reaction from his team as they look to avoid a 1-5 start and discontent to grow further within the fanbase.
Let’s break down four players who could see a reduction in playing time this weekend at Bank of America Stadium.
Carolina Panthers players who could see reduced playing time in Week 6
Claudin Cherelus - Carolina Panthers LB
Losing both Josey Jewell and Shaq Thompson to injuries in the same week was far from ideal for the Carolina Panthers. This thrust linebackers Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus into the limelight as the starters in Week 5.
For Wallace, it was a solid first outing as he played 100 percent of the defensive snaps and had 15 tackles, 10 of those solo. This made him the first Panthers rookie since the great Luke Kuechly to record 15 tackles in a game.
While Cherelus performed admirably in his elevated role, do not expect it to continue. It was reported by Canales that Jewell was expected to only miss a single game. If he manages to get back on the practice field in some capacity this week, the chances are he'll play.