Which Panthers saw their stocks rise and fortunes fall in Week 3?
The Carolina Panthers fell to 0-3 after a 37-27 road loss against the Seattle Seahawks. With Week 3 in the books, here’s what’s rising and falling with the Carolina Panthers.
Risers
Andy Dalton’s gray whiskers. While the Panthers backup quarterback is known for his ginger locks, the 35-year-old has a nice streak of gray in his beard. He’s a veteran. He’s experienced. He has seen it all in the NFL. His poise and decision making were on full display in a strong performance against the Seahawks, despite having to sling the ball a career-high 58 times. While Bryce Young is the future of the franchise, Andy Dalton is a really solid placeholder.
Thielen’s feelin’ it. The Panthers veteran wide receiver has been the team’s best offensive player this season, period. Through three games he has 20 receptions on 25 targets for 211 yards and two touchdowns. He torched Seattle for 11 receptions for 145 yards and a score.
Chark attacks. After DJ Chark missed Carolina’s first game this year then in Week 2 only contributed one reception for 15 yards, he showed up in a big way against the Seahawks. The Panthers prized free agent finally flashed his big-play ability with a sweet 47-yard touchdown. He later had a 28-yard gain to convert a crucial third down and on another occasion drew a pass interference on a third down. Now, it took 11 targets for Chark to get his four receptions and he had some drops, but it was promising to see him make an impact.
Kamu can do. After not playing in Week 1, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill has played well over the last two weeks filling in for an injured Shaq Thompson. In Week 2 against the Saints he had six tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss. In Week 3 against the Seahawks he racked up 10 tackles in 50 defensive snaps. In 2021 he had 108 tackles and 13 tackles for loss and is looking good in his first season in Carolina.
Fallers
Ickey’s icky penalties. Ikem Ekwonu, the Panthers second year left tackle, hasn’t taken the step forward teams want to see in Year 2 from their first round draft picks. Ickey was flagged for four false starts, including back-to-back penalties in the third quarter, and gave up a number of pressures.
Depth perception. On Seattle’s first possession, Carolina’s defense forced Seattle into a fourth-and-1 from the Carolina 29. Kenneth Walker III ran up the middle and defensive tackle DeShawn Williams dropped him seemingly short of the first down marker. The chains were brought out and the ball looked to be a few chain links short, but the refs signaled first down. Seattle went on to kick a field goal. I know TV doesn’t provide a perfect angle, but you make the call!
Flexible spending account balances. Football is a brutal sport, and there were a ton of injuries in this game. CJ Henderson, Xavier Woods, Miles Sanders, Jonathan Mingo, and Frankie Luvu all got dinged up. The Seahawks had a host of injuries, too. It was a rough game in the injury department.
The home viewing experience. Maybe I’m just an old codger entering the “get off my lawn!” phase of my middle-aged life, but I find watching Seahawks home games thoroughly annoying. Loud sounds and bright colors are very distracting to me, so being bombarded by Seattle’s blaring siren, the high-pitched seahawk screech after first downs, and the garish splashes of neon green was as enjoyable as chewing tinfoil. Needless to say I’ll never attend a game at Lumen Field.