Panthers show promise, but need to improve on disappointing Dolphins defeat
In a game which brought some hope (which unfortunately turned into false hope) for Panthers fans, Bryce Young begun to show glimpses of his talent and Miami showed exactly why they’re one of the favourites for the Super Bowl this season.
Carolina started the game defying all expectations and ended the first quarter with a 14 – 0 lead but quickly fell out of favour with the football gods and ended the half 21-14 down.
The second half was more of the same as the Dolphins took the game away from Carolina and never looked like losing after the first half. Tyreek Hill made another celebration for the highlight reel as he proceeded to backflip with a phone in his hand.
The touchdown he scored was nothing to be scoffed at as he torched Donte ‘action’ Jackson to bring home a 41-yard touchdown. Hill would subsequently leave the game for a few minutes with cramp.
Speaking on his cramp issues after the game Hill said this to the media. “Man, I got an IV at the beginning of the game, halftime, then I had to come in and get one for that, too, though. I had to at least have six bags today, which is crazy.”
This year’s number one overall draft pick Young managed to have his first game without a turnover and showed some bright signs of composure and ability whilst in the pocket.
A highlight was a 1st down during the first quarter, despite being under heavy pressure from Miami’s interior defensive lineman he stayed calm kept his eyes downfield and threw a dime to Adam Thielen outside of the posts for 27 yards.
Head Coach Frank Reich will hope this is a sign of Young starting to adjust not only to the NFL but his lack of consistent protection from his offensive line.
Young running back Chubba Hubbard had an impressive game and was a good alternative to throwing the ball, if he continues these performances, it will be hard for Miles Sanders to justify his lack of production so far.
It was a bad day at the office for the Carolina defense. At times Miami side were cutting through them like a hot knife through butter, a noticeably lacklustre performance from trade-candidate Brian Burns, who only managed two tackles, summed up the overall performance from the defensive side of the ball.
Overall, an expected defeat to a strong playoff contender will sting due to the nature of the defeat but ultimately Young’s improvement should be the main takeaway for Panthers fans.
