Initial Thoughts: Panthers Hit Season's Low Point Against Bengals

Carolina falls to 2-7 on the season following a 42-21 loss to Cincinnati.

Oh how things can change so quickly.

Last week the Panthers were heading to Atlanta to compete for the division lead- albeit with a losing record. There was an air of misplaced excitement that Carolina might weirdly have something to play for this season despite all of its prior struggles.

The Panthers fell in overtime during a game in which they were several missed kicks away from topping the NFC South. Despite this, PJ Walker absolutely set the world on fire and provided the best quarterback performance the team had seen in years. DJ Moore finally got going, and even players like Terrace Marshall Jr. and D'Onta Foreman helped out mightily in the team's effort. The Panthers left with a loss, but with plenty of good performances to build off of for the future. And this was all without the help of the recently traded Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson!

Things went sour quickly in Week 9 though, as any hopes for a redemption run under interim head coach Steve Wilks came crashing down with the shellacking at the hands of the Bengals. Here are some of the highlights:

-PJ Walker was a mess. He complete just 3-10 passing attempts for 9 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by Baker Mayfield. Bengals backup-QB Brandon Allen actually completed the same number of passes as Walker in his garbage time effort.

-Joe Mixon rushed for over 100 yards-- in the first half. He totaled 213 all-purpose yards and five (!) touchdowns on the day.

-Cincinnati was without 3 of their top-4 cornerbacks on the depth chart today due to injury, and the Panthers still managed just 19 yards on their first eleven plays.

-Cincinnati had more points (35) than Carolina had yards (32) at half time.

-The Bengals had nearly double the time of possession of the Panthers with 39:21 minutes compared to the 20:39 for Carolina.

-The Panthers surrendered 19 first downs converted on the ground, while converting just 4 of their own through the same method. 

-The Panthers sacked Burrow just once today, despite the Bengals surrendering the second-most sacks per game in the NFL entering the contest.

One could continue with similar stats for quite a while. A team that had previously appeared to be playing with a massive chip on its shoulder under Steve Wilks came out flat, unmotivated, and outmatched in every facet of the game today. Despite any previous notions to the contrary, the Panthers are officially a team that needs to put its sights on 2023. The answers to winning football are not currently in the building.

So what positives can Carolina's brass and fans takeaway from today's game? Terrace Marshall has gone from consistent healthy-scratch for the first year and half of his career to proving that the talent that made him a second round pick in 2021 might really be there. Marshall has totaled 140 yards and a touchdown over the last two weeks. 

Brian Burns also recorded yet another sack today. This is a welcome sight from a piece for the future considering the Panthers reportedly turned down an offer of two first-round picks and a second-round pick from the Rams for Burns earlier in the week. Burns 6 sacks on the season nearly outpace the rest of the team's 8.

Baker Mayfield was able to look competent during the second half, granted with the game completely out of reach. He completed 14-20 passing attempts with two touchdowns once the Bengals kicked on the brakes. Mayfield has already proven that he is not the answer for the future Carolina was betting he'd be, but maybe this points for the potential for him to play adequately enough to properly evaluate the rest of the pieces of the offense who might be able to be a part of future iterations of the team that might actually play some meaningful football- like Terrace Marshall.

The final silver-lining is with their seventh loss in nine games, the Panthers are in prime position for one of the top picks in the 2023 draft. As long as the team continues to perform with the inconsistencies and inefficiencies that have been rampant this season, the team should be in a prime position to infuse next year's club with some much needed high-end rookie talent.

All things considered, today was more than just rough for the Panthers. The game was sixty minutes of showcasing just how desperately in need this team is for a change. Buckle in fans, things are probably going to get a lot worse before they get any better.

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