5 winners and losers from the Carolina Panthers preseason loss vs. Lions
By Dean Jones
Who were the big winners and losers from the Carolina Panthers' preseason defeat against the Detroit Lions at Bank of America Stadium?
It's over.
The Carolina Panthers went out with a proverbial whimper to conclude an underwhelming preseason schedule against the Detroit Lions at Bank of America Stadium. But so long as everything clicks during a pivotal divisional clash at the Atlanta Falcons to begin the 2023 campaign, nobody is going to care.
At all.
People are reading far too much into warmup games with almost no context attached whatsoever. But for the players involved, it was their last chance to stake claims before general manager Scott Fitterer and his staff begin trimming the fat to reach an initial 53-man roster.
On this topic, here are five winners and losers from Carolina's 2023 preseason finale reverse.
Winner No. 1
Spencer Brown - Carolina Panthers RB
With the Carolina Panthers erring on the side of caution with No. 1 running back Miles Sanders, others got the chance to step up and make one final impression. Perhaps the player who benefitted more than most from increased involvement was Spencer Brown, who's given those in power a lot to ponder after an outstanding preparation period overall.
Brown concluded his preseason by putting out more decent tape en route to 51 rushing yards and one touchdown from 13 carries. It does seem unlikely that the Panthers take more than three running backs onto their 53-man roster, but the former undrafted free agent couldn't have done any more.
And who knows, maybe his production this summer will be enough to make a team elsewhere.