The Carolina Panthers' overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons could be looked back on as a career-altering day for quarterback Bryce Young. But if head coach Dave Canales' squad wants to capitalize on their postseason chance, they must resolve one glaring issue.
After facing the loudest criticism of his career to date following the home loss to the New Orleans Saints, Young responded with the best performance of his career by some margin. He threw for a franchise record 448 yards and led another game-winning drive. His outlook changed almost instantly.
But despite the heroics of the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, it was the performance of another draft selection from the same class that left fans questioning the coaching staff.
Chandler Zavala continues to struggle at the NFL level. It’s a mystery that the former North Carolina State man managed to last the whole game without being benched.
Carolina Panthers must make a change after Chandler Zavala's struggles continued
Zavala has continuously found life difficult. In his rookie season, he gave up 33 pressures, most among guards. This included an incredible 14 in a single matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Now, over halfway through Year 3, things have not improved for the fourth-round pick.
Pro Football Focus has been less than flattering for Zavala this season. The guard currently has an overall grade of 41.2, which is good for just 77th out of 80 qualifying guards. And of all 17 offensive players who saw snaps in Week 11, the player was last for Carolina with a grade of 48.0.
The Panthers are desperately missing both Robert Hunt and Brady Christensen, and the play at right guard has dropped off significantly in their absence. Austin Corbett has struggled mightily at both guard and center. One could argue that the best performance we’ve seen this season, after the injuries, was Jake Curhan on the road at the Green Bay Packers.
Young finished his breakout outing in Atlanta with essentially one good ankle after needing attention from the training staff on multiple occasions. And it seemed most of these issues stemmed from Zavala's poor play.
The Panthers’ blitz pickups remain a significant issue. Both Young and Rico Dowdle pointed out that Falcons defender Billy Bowman Jr. was set to come on the blitz. Despite this, no one picked him up, and the signal-caller's bad ankle was stepped on during a sack.
While it seemed at first that Dowdle was to blame for the missed assignment, it was pointed out on the FOX broadcast by analyst Brady Quinn that it was likely a missed block from Zavala, who should have disengaged his initial engagement and picked up the late blitzer.
On a key fourth down, fans saw Zavala hamper his quarterback once again. With Young under center and the Panthers needing just a yard, the interior lineman was pushed straight back into the Alabama product, stepping on the injured ankle and immediately killing any prospects of converting the crucial moment.
Heading into the Panthers’ only prime-time clash this season on Monday Night Football, making a change at the position is imperative.
Zavala is the key weakness on this line, and the Panthers cannot let this be exposed on a national scale. With Corbett also displaying inconsistencies this season, it seems logical that Curhan gets the nod in his home state.