4 burning questions Carolina Panthers fans are asking ahead of Week 9 vs. Colts

Bryce Young and the hits keep coming...

Even with the win, Bryce is getting hit too much. Is it that the o-line needs help or that our receivers have difficulty getting open or is it a mix of both? - James Sutton

Certainly a mix of both, James.

We here at Cat Crave talked about this throughout the season and last Sunday was no different. Wide receiver and offensive line play have been some of the main talking points as to why the Carolina Panthers have struggled on offense and more specifically, Bryce Young.

There is some hope going forward. Thomas Brown's first game as offensive play-caller showed a mix of Frank Reich and Sean McVay principles that we have been preaching since the idea came around of him taking over that gig going back to the preseason. If anything, I saw an offensive coordinator who was putting his quarterback and offense in the best position to succeed despite the deficiencies.

The receiver room is still lackluster in some capacity, while the offensive line showed some steadiness in some spots. While there have been inconsistencies outside of Adam Thielen, rookie Jonathan Mingo turned in the best game of his young career with four catches for 62 yards against the Houston Texans, displaying the flashes that made him a second-round pick.

Yes, Young is getting hit a lot. That is the story of any quarterback drafted No. 1 overall.

Brown did a good job throughout the game getting his rookie signal-caller on wider throwing platforms and space to work with along with more simplicity. This allowed Young to play as freely and loose as he had all season.

The offensive line and wideout room will continue to be issues going forward in some sort of capacity. It's something Young will have to continue adjusting to and it's up to Brown to hide the deficiencies as best he can.