The Carolina Panthers needed a division win to position themselves well deep into the season. Instead, they were humiliated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This was an embarrassment for the organization following two big wins against the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. The team looked subpar at best, and the lack of competitiveness seemed obvious from the jump.
All three phases were out of sync, and there was no good answer from anyone.
With that in mind, here are seven instant reactions to Sunday's letdown against Tampa Bay.
Gut reactions to the Carolina Panthers incredible blowout defeat against the Buccaneers
1. For the second time this season, the Panthers allowed 250-plus yards on the ground. With Jaelan Phillips out, Patrick Jones II and Princely Umanmielen had their worst performances of the season. Tampa Bay was reaching the second level consistently, while tackling seemed to be optional too often.
2. It's clear the edge rusher (excluding Umanmielen and Jones) and cornerback depth are not good. It's time for general manager Dan Morgan to go shopping and break off the trade mold he has followed since being hired. There needs to be another one-on-one winner at edge rusher in both phases and an adequate cornerback that takes good angles in the run game, tackles well, and is sufficient in coverage.
3. It was another rough day for Akayleb Evans on that note, and Will Lee III regressed as a run defender this week after slowly growing into his own as an adequate man defender himself. While this may be the cornerback duo for Thursday night, I don't expect that to be the case after that.
4. Bryce Young (14 of 27, 163 yards) unfortunately had his first bad game of the season, throwing two interceptions. He did have a nice downfield touchdown pass to tight end Darren Waller, but the momentum for the fourth-year quarterback certainly stalled this weekend.
5. Back to Dave Canales, who deserves a lot of the blame for today's lackluster display on a day when the Panthers were honoring Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly. This loss should be on his shoulders, and he shouldn't be preaching "championship football" before the matchup when you have a game like this. It will be telling where this team's mindset is against Green Bay.
6. The offensive line issues were on full display, as left tackle Rasheed Walker allowed numerous pressures and three sacks. It got worse when veteran right tackle Taylor Moton went down with a fractured fibula and an ankle injury, which may indicate the worst for one of the few consistent aspects of the Panthers' offensive line. It's going to get worse before it gets better.
7. Overall, this was bad football by Carolina. It comes down to Canales at the end of the day, while the players must execute and play better in all three phases of the game. The Buccaneers did a great job generating pressure and attacking the weak-side gaps on Walker's side while running at the edges.
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