Panthers News: Frank Reich, Bryce Young, Miles Sanders and Brian Burns

Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines after yet another disastrous defeat against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4?

After so much hope before the campaign, the Carolina Panthers are staring another lost season in the face after another inept loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. The tide has turned among the fanbase beyond recognition and with two difficult games upcoming before the bye, there's a real chance Frank Reich's men could be 0-6 heading into their extended period of rest.

Some extreme soul-searching is needed. While we wait, the stories causing conversation include Bryce Young's harsh assessment, Reich's incredible blunder, Miles Sanders' poor performances, and Brian Burns looking for action.

Let's delve into each topic in more detail.

Carolina Panthers OLB Brian Burns wants action

To nobody's surprise, the Carolina Panthers locker room was a somber place after their fourth-straight loss to begin the 2023 season. Players are getting sick and tired of making the same old excuses - it's now time to show some character and fight with everything they have to turn this concerning situation around.

This was a sentiment echoed by stud edge rusher Brian Burns, who was a non-factor thanks in no small part to being the primary focus of the Minnesota Vikings' protection game plan. The former first-round pick was done talking about the team's failings and wants action in some capacity before they take the field in Week 5 at the Detroit Lions.

Burns is one of Carolina's primary leaders, so it's up to him and others to galvanize the troops. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that things aren't looking good right now.

Carolina Panthers RB Miles Sanders' reflection

Things just aren't clicking on offense where the Carolina Panthers are concerned. This is nothing new to fans who've had to endure some sorry football and schematic concepts under the new coaching regime, which is seeing calls for change grow increasingly louder with every passing week.

While the play-calling is suspect and bland, the Panthers aren't getting much from the run game. This is piling additional pressure on a passing attack that is mundane, uninspired, and clearly lacking the right confidence in their No. 1 overall selection Bryce Young.

When discussing the offensive struggles, running back Miles Sanders gave a frank assessment of the team's performance via David Newton of ESPN. The former second-round pick also highlighted the delay of game penalties as a primary reason why things look sluggish.

"We know what type of defense it was. They run blitz zero and stack the line of scrimmage to make things difficult. They gave us every look we expected. We did a pretty good job of having urgency getting out of the huddle, but the delay of games is what's really killing us. We're trying to get into a real rhythm, you cannot get into a real rhythm. Honestly, we are not playing good football right now."

Miles Sanders via X/Twitter

Sanders is being criticized for his lack of consistency in finding the right running lanes. Just how much his lack of explosiveness has to do with the groin injury he's currently dealing with remains to be seen, but the Penn State product is one of many that must buck up their ideas.

Carolina Panthers HC Frank Reich's omission

There is no denying Frank Reich is a man under increasing pressure. False promises and delusions of grandeur about what the Carolina Panthers might be capable of in 2023 are coming back to bite those in positions of power, with the head coach front and center while others such as general manager Scott Fitterer have the luxury of staying out of the limelight.

Reich's play-calling once again came under scrutiny following their loss against the Minnesota Vikings. The head coach did himself absolutely no favors whatsoever by admitting to calling a play for Adam Thielen without realizing he was in the blue medical tent receiving attention via USA Today Sports.

"I called a play for [Adam] Thielen. And then, I realized he was out. And I didn’t know he was out fast enough. It was a play that could only go to Thielen. So I had to change the call. And that was the one we had to call a timeout on."

Frank Reich via USA Today Sports

There is a lot going on during a football game, so one could make an argument that this is an easy mistake to make. But surely the figurehead on the sidelines should be told his primary pass-catcher is currently receiving treatment before deciding on his next move.

Also, Reich should have kept this to himself. Having transparency is all well and good, but all this did was bring the microscope down further on what's been a disastrous start to his head coaching tenure in Carolina.

Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's assessment

The Carolina Panthers looked for a long time as if they might pick up their first win of the campaign before everything unraveled. One must look at the full body of work to pinpoint what went wrong - especially in the second half - but there was an obvious swing in the third quarter that put Frank Reich's men on the back foot.

Yet another penalty from Ikem Ekwonu halted Carolina's offensive momentum. This was swiftly followed by quarterback Bryce Young coughing up the football via fumble for a pick-six that turned the tide in no uncertain terms.

This was something that weighed heavily on a visibly dejected Young post-game via the team's website. The No. 1 overall selection took full accountability and vowed to clean things up moving forward.

"Obviously, turning the ball over is something we talk about a lot. That was a huge, huge, huge swing of the game. And that's solely, single-handedly on me, stuff we talked about. … That's no one else but me, and there's stuff on top of that that you want to unpack. We have to turn around."

Bryce Young via Panthers.com

Something isn't right, that part is obvious. But with C.J. Stroud dropping 30 on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense to continue his remarkable start to the season and Anthony Richardson almost bringing the Indianapolis Colts back from a huge deficit at the Los Angeles Rams, some sections of the fanbase are starting to get impatient.

That's harsh on Young, who's only played three NFL games. Some frank discussions are needed, but giving the signal-caller freedom to make plays would be a good place to start.