The Carolina Panthers are averaging 32 offensive points per game through the first two weeks of the season. That production has come in the first two games of Brad Idzik's NFL play-calling career.
The Panthers made a significant change this offseason when head coach Dave Canales handed his play-calling duties to Idzik. It was a big call to make, but the early results speak for themselves.
Canales explained that handing off these responsibilities to Idzik would allow him to take a broader view of the team while giving the offensive coordinator his first opportunity to run an NFL offense from the sideline.
Brad Idzik is making the most of Carolina Panthers play-calling chance
Two games into that experiment, the offense is lighting it up.
Carolina's 37 points against the Chicago Bears were the most in a season opener in franchise history, while the Panthers also finished that game with 478 total yards.
Then in Week 2, fourth-year quarterback Bryce Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons, while Tetairoa McMillan topped 100 receiving yards for the third time in his young career.
The Panthers have now scored 71 total points through two games, the most in franchise history over the first two contests of a season. That's a pretty notable early result for a first-time play-caller.
There is another reason to pay attention to what Idzik is doing.
Carolina Panthers offense can still improve further under Brad Idzik
After the Panthers scored 37 points and gained 478 yards in his first game calling plays, Idzik pointed out how much more the offense could have accomplished. He noted several fixable elements on the film and said Carolina could have kept rolling even more effectively.
There have been mistakes. There have been missed opportunities. Carolina still has plenty to clean up. That's exactly what makes the start interesting.
Idzik isn't being asked to completely reinvent the Panthers' offense. He spent the previous two seasons helping Canales build it and has worked with him for seven seasons overall. They wanted continuity while giving their offensive coordinator more responsibility.
Obviously, two games aren't enough to determine what this offense will look like in December. But it's enough to make the Idzik experiment worth watching.
Carolina chose to give him the headset because Canales believed Idzik was ready for the responsibility. Over two weeks, the Panthers are getting exactly the kind of early production that could make that decision one of the season's more important developments.
The offense still has plenty to fix. Idzik said so himself.
But if the Panthers can keep producing at anything close to this level, they may have found something to build around.
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