Grading the Panthers’ horrific loss to Jaguars: Bryce Young, defense fail to do anything
When kicker Eddy Piñeiro felt soreness in right hamstring during Sunday’s pregame warmups, the Panthers should have known their trip to Jacksonville was going to be another dreary afternoon in a season full of letdowns.
The 2023 season hasn’t been kind to Carolina (2-14), and their 26-0 blowout loss to the Jaguars (9-7) at EverBank Stadium was another (and the worst) flaming log to throw onto the dumpster fire that has been this campaign. It was the Panthers’ first shutout loss since 2002.
Along with missing their kicker, the Panthers’ offensive line no-showed in pass protection for most of the game, as rookie quarterback Bryce Young was sacked six times for a loss of 45 yards. With Jaguars starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) sidelined, career backup CJ Beathard was able to outperform the No. 1 pick throughout the afternoon against the Carolina defense, which bombed as a unit for a second consecutive week.
The Panthers were overmatched in every aspect of their play in Week 17. The Jaguars, who had been on a four-game skid and needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, were able to get right against Carolina in a way that several other struggling squads had in previous weeks.
Here is how the Panthers graded out against the Jaguars:
Run offense
With veteran lineman Gabe Jackson making his first start of the season at right guard, the Panthers running game picked up 23 rushing yards on five carries in the first half. Starting running back Chuba Hubbard averaged 4.6 yards per carry but was only given five totes in the first two quarters. Miles Sanders picked up 7 yards on a run but only got one attempt ahead of halftime.
By the second half, the Panthers were so stagnant on offense, that the offense basically imploded. The rushing game was mitigated and the group only go eight second-half carries.
The offense finished with 57 rushing yards (3.8 YPC) on 15 carries in the game. Hubbard led the group with 45 rushing yards on 11 carries.
Grade: D-
Pass offense
Young came out firing and was nearly picked off on the first drive of the game. However, he quickly bounced back and made an excellent fourth-and-3 throw to wideout Adam Thielen for a gain of 14 yards to reach the red zone. He was forced to go for it on fourth-and-7 on the final series and got walloped on a sack to end the drive.
Third- and fourth-down sacks were the theme of the first half for the offense. Jaguars pass rusher Josh Allen had two sacks by himself in the first half and set the Jacksonville franchise record for sacks (15.5) in the season before halftime.
Young was sacked four times in the first half. While the rookie avoided turnovers, he lost 38 yards on the sacks. He completed 9 of 14 passes for 41 yards in the first half and failed to produce a scoring drive ahead of halftime.
Young’s third quarter was limited. He continued to take on heavy pressure and struggled to move the ball efficiently. He was picked off late in the fourth quarter with the game melting down.
Young tried to hit DJ Chark three times on the same fourth-quarter drive and the wideout failed to haul in all three targets.
Young completed 19 of 32 passes for 112 yards and an interception in the game. He was sacked six times through 10 drives and lost 45 yards on the takedowns. He had a 53.1 pass rating without a scoring drive.
Grade: F
Run defense
The Jaguars struggled on the ground throughout December. And against the Panthers, that skid didn’t continue.
Starting running back Travis Etienne picked up just 22 rushing yards on seven carries in the first half. As a group, the Jaguars averaged just 2.1 yards per carry on 13 totes — though one was a kneel down — ahead of halftime.
Etienne, though, exploded for a 62-yard rushing touchdown on the first Jaguars series of the first half. Etienne hadn’t rushed for 60 total yards in the seven previous games for the Jaguars.
Etienne finished with 102 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts. Jacksonville 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries as a group.
Grade: F
Pass defense
Going up against the Jaguars’ backup quarterback, the Panthers pass defense needed some help from their pass rush and got it on the first drive of the game. Outside linebacker Brian Burns, who has had a sub-par season statistically, sacked Beathard for a 7-yard loss to force the Jaguars to settle for a 35-yard field goal on a promising opening drive.
Defensive tackle Derrick Brown and linebacker Yetur Gross-Matos also had some nice moments in the first half. Brown set a new career mark for a season with his sixth batted pass of the campaign. Meanwhile, Gross-Matos brought Beathard down in the second quarter to raise his sack total to 3.5 on the season. That mark tied his career-best number in 2021.
Linebacker Deion Jones also got a sack late in the second quarter.
Beathard led three scoring drives in the first half. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 154 passing yards but was sacked three times for a loss of 17 yards.
Beathard was able to lean on the run game throughout most of the second half after taking a 9-0 lead at intermission. While he still effectively drove the ball down the field, the Jaguars were focused on the ground.
The backup quarterback finished with 178 passing yards on a 70.8% completion percentage. His top passing weapon was tight end Evan Engram, who caught all six of his targets for 60 yards. Jamal Agnew’s 48-yard gain in the second quarter was the biggest play of the afternoon.
The Panthers decided to make starting cornerback Jaycee Horn (toe) active for the game, but he was not used. Interim head coach Chris Tabor said after the game that Horn was held out after feeling discomfort during warmups.
Conversely, former starter CJ Henderson was a healthy scratch for a second consecutive game.
Grade: D-
Special teams
Piñeiro felt discomfort in his right hamstring during pre-game warm-ups. His injury led to linebacker Kamu Gruiger-Hill kicking off to start the game. The Panthers passed up on a 39-yard field goal attempt on fourth-and-7 during their opening series likely due Piñeiro’s injury. That situation led to a turnover on downs without points.
For a team that has mainly relied on field goals to score points this season, Piñeiro’s absence was not only a difference-making no-show, but a game-defining disappearance for the Panthers.
Punter Johnny Hekker didn’t attempt a field goal, but he did receive plenty of work. He punted six times for 297 yards.
The Panthers only kicked off once, but did a relatively good job on punt coverage.
Grade: B
Overall grade
After two promising games from the offense, the Panthers — as a team — came out lame and never recovered in Duval County.
The defense, which had been the strength of the team up until last week, allowed a backup quarterback and a struggling run game to have success against them most of the afternoon. The missing kicker was a fine excuse for an early fourth-down failure, but the Panthers’ offense basically reverted back to its pre-Frank Reich firing follies in Florida.
This isn’t just about coaches. It’s not just about personnel. It an overarching disaster that needs a complete tear down and several buckets of new paint.
Overall Grade: F
This story was originally published December 31, 2023 at 4:21 PM.
