Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines after another disappointing defeat at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Frank Reich might be gone, but the same problems remain. The Carolina Panthers failed to galvanize themselves en route to their 11th loss in 12 regular-season games at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which officially made them the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention.
It's a complete mess and unlikely to get any better over their remaining five games. While coaches and players seemingly go through the motions, the stories causing conversation include Brian Burns' ejection, Jaycee Horn's return, Chris Tabor on questionable offensive calls in key moments, and Bryce Young's assessment.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers' cautious approach with Jaycee Horn
It was great to see Jaycee Horn back in the lineup. The cornerback looked a little rusty after taking the field for the first time since Week 1, which saw the former first-round pick give up more big plays than most anticipated as wide receiver Mike Evans torched the Carolina Panthers yet again.
Horn was also on the sidelines a lot, which led to speculation the South Carolina product had been benched. When clarifying the situation, interim head coach Chris Tabor stated that he was on a snap count that the Panthers stuck to despite having a shot to win the game late.
Tabor said Jaycee Horn was on a pitch count, which is why he wasn't on the field late in the game.
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) December 4, 2023
Coming off an injury that cost him 10 games, they wanted to be smart for the long-term with him.
This was a sensible approach. Horn's track record on the injury front isn't great and with the Panthers playing for nothing other than pride, erring on the side of caution represents the best course of action.
Brian Burns' reasoning
The Carolina Panthers aren't exactly blessed with prolific pass-rushers. So the last thing this team needed was for Brian Burns to get himself ejected for throwing a punch after an extra-point play.
This undisciplined nature is something that's become prevalent on game days this season. Burns was missed down the stretch, although he'd been unable to impact the contest in his usual manner before going for an early shower.
When discussing the ejection in the locker room post-game, Burns stated his fury stemmed from a comment made by an offensive lineman earlier in the clash that put the edge presence on tilt via USA Today Sports. The comment wasn't disclosed by the former first-round pick out of Florida State.
"One of their offensive linemen said something in the beginning that he shouldn’t have said to me and my team. Ever since then, I was pretty much on 10. I was mad. Some events happened. We got scored on. The game wasn’t going my way. Initially, it wasn’t even my fight. I just got pushed and I turned around and reacted. I take full accountability for my actions. I can’t do that."Brian Burns via USA Today Sports
Burns is normally a pretty laid-back character, so whatever was said must have been bad. Emotions can boil over, but it didn't help the Panthers in their quest for a second win of the 2023 campaign.
Carolina Panthers questionable calls
Despite struggling in difficult weather conditions for the majority of this game, the Carolina Panthers had a shot to tie or win down the stretch. But in a critical third-and-one situation, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown opted for two straight passing plays - the last of which resulted in another interception for rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
This came in for significant criticism post-game, especially given how well Chuba Hubbard was running the football and how depleted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were at linebacker. While similar situations resulted in tackles for loss, these came from the shotgun, so it might have been worth deploying a rushing play from under center at least once.
When talking about the calls after the game. interim head coach Chris Tabor stated that it was the offensive staff that ran the show. Brown got play-calling duties back after Frank Reich was fired, so the buck stops with him.
If one of the passing plays had come off, this wouldn't be a discussion. But these calls were not playing to Carolina's obvious strengths and the fact Miles Sanders was on the field on fourth down gave the game away in terms of play call.
Hopefully, things can improve with another week of familiarization and tweaks. Just don't hold your breath.
Assessment of Bryce Young
It was another difficult afternoon for Bryce Young. The rookie quarterback flashed some moments of promise, but his hesitancy and lack of confidence are lingering to the point one has to wonder about the damage this is doing long-term.
The Carolina Panthers need help on the protection and skill positions this offseason. Young is not without blame by any stretch of the imagination, with bad habits creeping into his production that wasn't evident during a prolific college career at Alabama.
Despite this rough outing, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Ryan Neal sees big things in the signal-caller's future based on comments via the team's website. That's hard to see right now, and things might get worse before they get better.
"I like that Bryce Young kid a lot. A lot of people put him under a lot of fire, but you've got to remember he's a rookie. I know people like to compare him to C.J. Stroud, but that's not fair. It's a different team, different scheme, different system."Ryan Neal via Panthers.com
A huge offseason awaits the Panthers and Young. The right reinforcements must arrive and the quarterback needs to work exceptionally hard on improving problem areas of his game in pursuit of a more profitable 2024 campaign.
Anything less will see the doubts increase.