3 major storylines following the Carolina Panthers into Week 9 vs. Colts

What major storylines are following the Carolina Panthers into their Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts at Bank of America Stadium?

For the first time this season, the Carolina Panthers earned a win in their Week 8 matchup against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. Now with the Indianapolis Colts coming into town for a rare late afternoon game at Bank of America Stadium, the team will look to pull off another first - put together a win streak.

The Panthers won in Week 8 on the shoulders of the defense and a stellar performance by quarterback Bryce Young. The ground game wasn’t overly effective, but when big moments presented themselves, Chuba Hubbard stepped up.

When we look at this Colts game, it looks like it has the potential to be more of a barnburner - at least, on paper. Let’s look at three major storylines following the Panthers into this Week 9 contest.

Carolina Panthers HC Frank Reich's revenge game

Frank Reich was the head coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018 to just over midway through the 2022 season. It didn't end well and he was fired after the team started 3-5-1.

Despite facing his former employer, Reich insisted that he had no interest in making this game personal. And that’s the right thing to say publicly.

It's entirely possible he doesn’t want it to be personal, but it inherently is. Like how there was no verbal confirmation that last week’s battle between Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud added any fuel to that fire - this game against the Colts provides an opportunity for a win that could be just a bit sweeter than the others.

The Carolina Panthers rallied around Young and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown in his debut as play-caller to reel in the victory. It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see the team come out of the tunnel and play with just a little extra fire once again.