Panthers passing offense in worst 4-game stretch by any NFL team in 15 years

Going back to a couple games last season, this Panthers offense is now officially in JaMarcus Russell territory.

Tim Weaver | Sep 15, 2024

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 25: JaMarcus Russell #2 of the Oakland Raiders fumbles the ball as he is rushed by Calvin Pace #97 of the New York Jets during an NFL game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 25, 2009 in Oakland, California. / (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

In this story:

Carolina Panthers

"Historic" may be an overused word when it comes to just how bad an NFL team can get, but we're quickly running out of modern comparisons that work for the 2024 Carolina Panthers. In their first two games of the season, they have been blown out twice and outscored by a total of 73-13.

They're bad in all three phases, but especially on offense, where they're on a cold streak the likes of which hasn't been seen in the league since the 2009 Oakland Raiders. According to David Newton at ESPN, the Panthers are the first team since that Raiders group to have a four-game stretch of zero passing touchdowns and less than 150 total passing yards.

The Panthers are the first team to have 0 passing TDs AND throw for less than 150 yards in 4 straight games since the 2009 Raiders. JaMarcus Russell started all those games for the Raiders.
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) September 15, 2024

It's an especially worrying comparison considering the main character: former number one overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell. That 2009 season he wound up going 2-7, having completed less than 49% of his passes, totaling three touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a passer rating of 50.0. That was also the last year that Russell was in the league.

Bryce Young isn't quite as bad as Russell was just yet, but he's on his way there. For now head coach Dave Canales says Young is still his starter. However, it won't take but another 2-3 games of playing this poorly to give Canales no choice but to yank Young and give literally anybody else an opportunity to do better.