3 winners (and 4 losers) from Carolina Panthers' loss vs. Chargers in Week 2
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers are always coming up with new ways to find rock bottom. Just when fans think it cannot get much worse, the next game sends them further down the barrel. Their Week 2 hammering by the Los Angeles Chargers at a tense Bank of America Stadium was the latest in a long line of embarrassments since David Tepper became owner.
Dave Canales has some thinking to do. Things are not progressing as he expected. They're getting much worse. Not many anticipated that after the Panthers won just two games during the 2023 campaign.
The Chargers bullied Carolina from start to finish. This was the fear given how well Jim Harbaugh sets up his teams. It quickly became a step too far for the Panthers, who are a long way from mediocrity and remain the NFL's laughingstock.
With this in mind, here are three winners and four losers from the Panthers' latest loss against the Chargers in Week 2.
Winners and losers from Carolina Panthers' loss vs. the Chargers in Week 2
Loser No. 1
Carolina Panthers run defense
This is quickly becoming an ongoing trend. It's incredibly frustrating and the offense is doing Ejiro Everto's defense no favors whatsoever. However, the Carolina Panthers' inability to stop the run is deeply concerning.
Jim Harbaugh's teams are always physical at the line of scrimmage and rely heavily on the run game despite having franchise quarterback Justin Herbert under center. Losing Derrick Brown for the entire campaign was a body blow to their chances of improvement. But to give up 219 yards and a touchdown on the ground was laughable.
Carolina's 3-4 defensive front isn't up to the required standard. A'Shawn Robinson is struggling. Shy Tuttle is not a nose tackle. Nick Thurman cannot be considered a starting-caliber lineman. That's the harsh reality.
The Panthers had no answer for J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who torched them frequently. They were dominated by the Chargers offensive line that is anchored by ex-Carolina center Bradley Bozeman. Whether this can improve without Brown is highly debatable.