Do the Panthers have any chance against the Cowboys in Week 11?

Carolina’s matchup against the Bears in Week 10 was an important game, not for playoff contention but as an identifier of how the teams have progressed after their mammoth trade before this year’s draft.

This game feels worse than nearly every other loss this season. It reflects a fractured team and an ownership that is more disconnected than ever to its fanbase.

The defence performed well, and, on another day, they would’ve played well enough to come out with the victory, however all the talk after the game will be about the offence, and one man particularly.

Bryce Young struggled massively today. And, while C.J. Stroud continues to play incredible football, the discontent to trade away key draft capital for Bryce will be more scrutinised than ever.

To add to the misery, even with all the metaphorical grey skies and very real defeats over at Carolina, whenever the young quarterback took the stand to meet the press and journalists, he looked calm, controlled and very mature however, this week was different.

He displayed genuine emotion, and we got a very real look at his true character, he announced the team must improve, “First and foremost, I have to be a lot better. We have to be better. It’s frustrating, it’s very frustrating.” Young said. “And that’s not me, that’s not just me, that’s everyone, we’re competitors, and losing is frustrating. It’s fresh, you feel it. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to turn the page. Being frustrated, however you feel, it’s not going to win you a game, it’s not going to help.” 

This for many felt like a crack in the armour of the No.1 pick, however I believe it’s a display of genuine intent shown by a man many have already taken to calling a bust, he is being slammed by sports media and he remains steadfast, determined to improve, he acknowledges his underwhelming performances whilst rallying his teammates to strive for improvement. This is a man people will follow into the trenches. A real leader, a real franchise player.

Bryce Young’s teammate Adam Thielen said this about Young. “He addressed us and kind of just shared his emotion, and it was received extremely well from a leader, a guy who puts everything he got in the preparation of the game, and we’re all trying to figure out how to do that.”

If Young has the mentality to take charge of this team whilst having a poor season then who knows what is possible when things eventually turn around.

During the game it was more of the same issues that have plagued the offence all season. The receivers didn’t achieve enough separation to really carve out clear opportunities for decent yards and whilst in the pocket Bryce looked as if he didn’t trust his offensive line, not that he can be blamed as this season the Panthers offensive line has looked weaker than wet paper at times.

This distrust caused him to be rushed and either not wait for play to develop properly or overestimate his receivers. An extremely poor performance from the offence puts extreme pressure on the coaching staff as attention eventually shifts to play calling and things need to drastically improve for the rest of the season otherwise Frank Reich and Scott Fitterer could be looking for new jobs come the end of the season.

Going into this weeks matchup against the Cowboys, it’s difficult to see anyway of the Panthers coming away with a victory. Stakes are already pretty high for the coaches and many of the players, but it could be more doom and gloom in Carolina.