3 biggest Carolina Panthers needs after humbling Week 1 loss at the Saints

Week 1 could not have gone worse for the Carolina Panthers if they were trying to be bad on purpose. If giving up 47 points to the rival New Orleans Saints wasn't bad enough, Bryce Young threw two interceptions and managed just 10 points in Dave Canales' first game in charge.

The Panthers came into the year with some major flaws, but the promise of possibly ending the campaign in a better spot than they were before. After the Saints contest, Carolina's complications are now concerning. This team could once again have the worst record in the NFL if things don't improve.

While it could be reasonably argued that every position group on the Panthers is an area of need, these three stand out as the main reasons Carolina appears to be leaking coolant right now.

Teams will continue to exploit these weaknesses until Canales fixes it. The sooner he does that, the better. Because fans are getting sick and tired of seeing their team embarrassed.

3 biggest Carolina Panthers team needs after Week 1 loss to Saints

3. Quarterback

Let's not sugarcoat it, Young is trending toward cataclysmic bust territory. While he is in a nightmare situation that anyone would struggle in, aren't No. 1 overall picks drafted to overcome less-than-ideal environments?

The only reason fans should be panicking about Young is how many of his flaws from last year managed to turn up once again. Not only that, elements such as footwork and streaky passing actually got worse in Week 1.

Young will force some ill-advised throws as he tries to make a big play happen out of nowhere, and his pocket presence remains suspect. There's lots of time for him to correct his course, but the red flags are starting to accrue at a concerning rate.

2. Secondary

Even with stud cornerback Jaycee Horn coming back, a fairly underwhelming secondary was ripped apart by veteran quarterback Derek Carr and a poor Saints receiving corps. That is simply unacceptable and must improve urgently.

Horn showed some serious rust in this game, and the rest of his defense did him no favors. With Los Angeles Chargers gunslinger Justin Herbert next on the schedule, expect some more brutal showings from a thin unit.

1. Defensive Line Depth

Ejiro Evero can only do so much. The defensive front seven was regarded as one of the worst groups in the league before all of their injury concerns, and now two of their three best players are sidelined. Much-ballyhooed pass rusher D.J. Wonnum is on the physically unable-to-perform list, while star defensive lineman Derrick Brown will miss the remainder of the season.

Unless Jadeveon Clowney can somehow pick up 35 sacks this season, this group is going to be at rock bottom of any defensive line ranking. With two teams who like to run the ball - the Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders - coming up, Panthers fans may be better off changing the channel when their defense shows up.