The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL in 2023. If Week One is any indication, not much has changed in 2024.
Carolina went to New Orleans for the season opener and got destroyed, in a game that the Saints led 17-0 in the first quarter and 30-0 in the second. The final score of 47-10 actually looked closer than the game really was because the Saints took their feet off the gas in the second half.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is looking more and more like a draft bust. The first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Young had an ugly rookie season and played poorly again today, with some terrible passes that a top pick in Year Two should not be making. Sometimes when a highly drafted young quarterback is struggling you can say they have the physical tools but just haven’t learned to play at the NFL level yet, but Young looks like he lacks the physical tools to be a franchise quarterback.
Saints quarterback Derek Carr played well, completing 19 of 23 passes for 200 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Alvin Kamara had 15 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
But this game appeared to say more about the Panthers than it said about the Saints. Carolina has a long, long way to go. And it may not have its franchise quarterback.
