Initial thoughts: Carolina Panthers provide both optimism and concern in home loss to Cincinnati Bengals

A few takeaways from the Panthers' Week 4 loss to Cincinnati.

Schuyler Callihan | 2 Hours Ago

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers fell 34-24 to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon, dropping their record to 1-3 on the young season. While the end result wasn't what Dave Canales and Co. had hoped for, there are some things to be optimistic about moving forward.

Diontae Johnson is exactly what the doctor ordered

When the Panthers traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnson, they felt like he could be their No. 1 target. They were well aware of his inconsistencies and struggles with drops from time to time, but he gets open better than any other receiver in the league and when he does reel it in, big things can happen. He had three "drops" in the first half, but two of them were defended really well. Instead of letting that get to his head, he moved on and made some big plays, including a 21-yard touchdown in the final minutes of the third quarter. He's going to be hot and cold, but the Panthers needed a playmaker at receiver, and they have it in Johnson.

An offensive identity is being formed

For the last four or five years the Panthers have lacked an identity on the offensive side of the ball aside from the interim run with Steve Wilks as the head coach. Since Andy Dalton took the reigns from Bryce Young, it's clear that Dave Canales wants to get the ball out quickly and let his playmakers make plays, but also take a handful of deep shots each half. However, this thing is going to be steered by the rushing attack. Miles Sanders showed some good things today which helped compliment Chuba Hubbard. When you rush for _ yards as a team and for _ yards per clip, you're going to be just fine on offense.

Get ready for some new faces

In the fourth quarter, the Panthers lost both starting inside linebackers to injury. Shaq Thompson is nursing a heel and Josey Jewell has a hamstring. The linebacking unit is already incredibly thin and if either of these injuries is deemed to be long-term, the Panthers are going to be in a world of trouble. It showed late in the game when the Bengals were able the ball at will to put the game on ice. Rookie Trevin Wallace would likely be asked to step up, but it's a tall ask for a player still trying to find his footing in the league. Expect the Panthers to add to this group over the next couple of days.

Poor run defense

The Bengals had eleven yards on the ground at halftime. They finished the day with 141. That simply can't happen. Chase Brown ripped a couple of big runs early in the third quarter and Cincinnati used those early gashes to their advantage leaning on the Panthers' d-line. Carolina struggled to get much of a push up front and as previously mentioned, the loss of Thompson and Jewell really hurt their run-stopping ability.