Not quite everything has gone wrong for the Carolina Panthers. Here’s a bright spot
For all the things that have gone wrong in the Carolina Panthers’ young season so far — three straight losses, eight false starts in a single game, numerous injuries on both sides of the ball — a few things have gone right.
One of those has been the performance of 33-year-old wide receiver Adam Thielen, who has staked a firm claim as the Panthers’ No. 1 receiver no matter who is throwing the ball.
The Panthers lost 37-27 at Seattle on Sunday. But Thielen had a strong game, with 11 catches for 145 yards and a late touchdown. He was clearly Andy Dalton’s favorite go-to guy, with 14 targets.
That followed Week 2, when Thielen was clearly rookie Bryce Young’s favorite target, catching seven passes for 54 yards with a TD and a two-point conversion in a loss to New Orleans.
And Thielen is getting those yards and receptions the hard way. Without the advantage of pure breakaway speed, he’s getting 5-25 yards at a time with his catches and often is taking the old Greg Olsen role as the player you throw to on third-and-7.
Thielen didn’t take much solace in his individual statistics Sunday, though, even though the 145 receiving yards ranked as the fourth-best of his career. When asked how he felt, he said: “It’s frustrating, because 0-3 never feels good. ... This is obviously not where we want to be. ... We’re too good to just go through the season and kind of waste it away.”
The next game for Thielen will have a special feel. He played his first nine years in Minnesota. The Vikings are 0-3, just like the Panthers, having lost their three games by a combined 13 points.
“Both teams are going to have some urgency,” Thielen said. “I think another thing is both teams are much, much better football teams than 0-3. They’ve got a talented roster. Obviously I’ve been a part of it for a long time and have got a lot of respect for those guys over there. ... Next week kind of feels like a playoff game to be honest, just because both teams are fighting and scratching and clawing to find a way to get that first one on the board and change the momentum.”
Carolina’s offense was more effective behind veteran backup quarterback Andy Dalton on Sunday than it had the previous two weeks under Young — with the obvious caveat that both the Falcons and Saints have a better defense than Seattle.
Dalton threw for 361 yards in a career-high 58 attempts. The Panthers scored 27 points on offense after only managing a combined 27 points in their first two starts.
But the Panthers also short-circuited several chances at more points with their eight false starts — seven by the offensive line and one on special teams. Four of those were on Panthers left tackle Ickey Ekwonu.
“It’s a tough environment,” Thielen said. “But that’s no excuse. ... We’ve got to find a way to clean that up.”
The Panthers also have to figure out a way not to be one-dimensional. Their running game was ineffective Sunday, as they ran the ball only 14 times for 44 yards.
Panthers coach Frank Reich has said numerous times that the quarterback job will be Young’s again once he returns from an ankle injury, which could be as early as Sunday’s Minnesota game. Whether it is Young or Dalton starting for Carolina on Sunday, though, there’s little doubt who they’ll be looking for first downfield: Thielen.
This story was originally published September 25, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
