4 reasons why Carolina Panthers lost at the Falcons in Week 1

Carolina Panthers' lack of WR separation

It is safe to say the absence of D.J. Moore will hurt the Carolina Panthers a lot this season. And his absence was glaring during a poor loss at the Atlanta Falcons to begin the 2023 campaign.

One of the bright spots from the Week 1 loss was the performance of the offensive line. Many times in the game, Bryce Young had a lot of time to read the defense in the pocket, but completions were hard to come by. And while the rookie quarterback should do better, the receiving core had a poor performance in terms of creating space.

While the rookie quarterback did not play well, a portion of Young's incompletions are on his receivers not making plays or running good routes. And there are a few plays when the rookie signal-caller had to throw the ball away because everyone was tightly covered by Atlanta's defense.

More repetitions and built-up chemistry between Young and his receiving core will help the passing offense improve throughout the season. Getting D.J. Chark on the field after he recovers from his injury will also help, but early signs from the preseason and in Week 1 are not good.