NFL analyst says Carolina Panthers are 'in dire straits' heading into Week 3

Bobby Kownack at NFL.com calls Panthers 'far too undisciplined" in their loss on Sunday to the Chargers.

Tim Weaver | Sep 16, 2024

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 15: Joey Bosa #97 of the Los Angeles Chargers sacks Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers during a football game at Bank of America Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

The regular season only just started, but the Carolina Panthers are already in really, really bad shape as they begin preparing for their third game of the year against the Las Vegas Raiders. Right now they are clearly the worst team in the NFL, and whichever team is second-worst has a pretty wide gap between them and the chasm that is Carolina right now.

Starting quarterback Bryce Young is playing just as poorly as he did in his rookie season. However, overall the team has somehow managed to take a step back even from the putrid performances in 2023 that ended with a 2-15 record. Defensively they can't stop the run to save their lives and their special teams unit isn't much better. At the moment it's difficult to see this team winning even a single game this season.

NFL.com analyst Bobby Kownack took notice of the total dysfunction. Here's a portion of what he wrote about Carolina coming out of Sunday's games.

NFL.com on the 2024 Panthers

"The offense didn’t achieve a first down until its fifth drive, with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. Bryce Young threw an interception into traffic on the very next play. He managed just 84 yards through the air, the lowest total of his career, on 18-of-26 passing. Even when there was some progress, the team was far too undisciplined, leading to 90 penalty yards on nine infractions."

The lack of discipline is the most-concerning thing, because it indicates a lack of leadership in the locker room and poor coaching from rookie head coach Dave Canales. Given the way things ended so abruptly last season between Frank Reich and this franchise, Canales may have more breathing room than most coaches who struggle this much, but it won't take too many more games of this for his seat to get awfully hot.