It doesn't take long for bubbles to burst around the NFL when the regular season begins. That bears more significance for teams like the Carolina Panthers, who have long been thought of as basement-dwelling afterthoughts rather than legitimate playoff challengers.
Dave Canales was confident the tide would turn this time. The head coach was extremely bullish about his team's chances, stating that nobody would look forward to playing the Panthers after a strong end to 2024 and some aggressive moves over the offseason.
That might still come to fruition. However, Carolina's disastrous Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars proved just how much hard work is ahead.
Carolina Panthers might not be able to reach increased offseason expectations
The Panthers were outcoached, outsmarted on the field, and everything in between. Their run defense was gashed for 200 yards on the ground, and they never looked capable of generating any consistent momentum in all phases. It was a body blow — one that left fans worrying about whether their summer optimism was all for nothing.
Lou Scataglia from NFL Spin Zone shared a similar notion after placing the Panthers at No. 29 in his weekly power rankings. He was high on Carolina's outlook heading into the campaign. After a dismal opening loss, that's not the case anymore.
"Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers could not get it done in Week 1, and while it’s early, I now have a hunch that Carolina just isn’t going to be much better than they were in 2024."Lou Scataglia
This is pretty much the consensus. Fans can overreact too much to an opening-day reverse, but the fact that Carolina's troubles that blighted them in 2024 came up immediately in 2025 cannot be anything other than concerning.
Canales got a rude awakening. He's coming under fire for not having his team prepared. There is friction already brewing with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who ignored the calls from his head coach to get the younger players involved in favor of some underperforming veterans. Dan Morgan's lack of attention to the linebacking corps after Josey Jewell's release is also coming back to haunt him.
The stakes have been raised heading into Carolina's road trip to the Arizona Cardinals. Unless substantial improvements are made, and these players start to execute more efficiently in a pressurized setting, there is only going to be one outcome at State Farm Stadium.
And that'll bring enough finger-pointing to invoke memories of the Frank Reich and Matt Rhule eras.