4 huge disappointments from Carolina Panthers' loss at the Seahawks in Week 3
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers were bitten hard by the injury bug
It’s fair to say the Carolina Panthers must have done something to annoy the football gods because their injury luck as it stands is nothing short of brutal. With Brady Christensen and Shaq Thompson both done for the season, Jaycee Horn on injured/reserve, Austin Corbett on the Physically Unable to Perform List, and Bryce Young nursing a sore ankle, they could ill afford any more complications.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Incredibly, another four starters were taken out of the game with Frankie Luvu, Xavier Woods, C.J. Henderson, and Jonathan Mingo all not finishing the contest.
Those injuries left an already thin defense even thinner and resulted in the likes of Deion Jones and Sam Franklin seeing extended snaps. To make matters worse, it was also reported that Brian Burns was limping during practice this week, although it didn't have an impact on his ability to participate.
Injuries in the secondary, when you have Justin Jefferson rolling into town next week, are far from ideal. Troy Hill is quickly emerging as the team's most reliable cornerback. But expecting a 32-year-old to cover arguably the league's best wideout for an entire game is asking for trouble.
This leaves Donte Jackson the likely candidate. But as the weeks go by, the decision to extend the player is another issue of contention for general manager Scott Fitterer.
The player simply cannot be relied upon in coverage, D.K. Metcalf had six receptions for 112 receiving yards and had his way with Jackson for most of the contest.
He was inexplicably beaten by running back Kenneth Walker III on a first and 25 giving Seattle a key first down. To top it all off, Jackson was 'Moss'd' by undrafted free agent Jake Bobo for the final score after being beaten off the line.
For context, Bobo ran a five-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.