Despite Loss, Panthers Remain Optimistic

After the Cincinnati Bengals went up 31-14 with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Carolina Panthers could have simply hung their heads and accepted defeat. After all, a team that had only won three of their last 20 contests going back to last season was used to losing.

These are not the same old Panthers, however. Andy Dalton and Dave Canales are making sure of that. Behind the newfound strength of their offense, Carolina stormed back to make it a 31-24 game late in the fourth.

The Bengals held on, however, and rode a strong offensive performance to a 34-24 victory.

Despite the loss, there is a different atmosphere amongst this 1-3 Carolina squad. "I'm encouraged that our football team continues to improve," said head coach Canales. "But we've got to finish."

Had this been a season ago, things would have been different. A week after upsetting the Las Vegas Raiders on the road, the Panthers of old would have lost a much less competitive game while their fans wore brown paper bags over their heads.

Instead of the local fanbase walking out of Bank of America Stadium embarrassed, Panthers fans exited the game with a sense of hope and optimism. Those same feelings are shared by the players as well, who are quickly buying into what Canales is selling.

"We didn't lose anything today,'' said Andy Dalton. "This was an NFL football game. It came down to a couple of plays that made the difference... For us, at least we're putting something out there we know that we can build on."

WR Diontae Johnson and CB Jaycee Horn echoed this sentiment. Johnson called the Panthers "a different team" while Horn said that "the vibe is different."

To Johnson's point, the Panthers are playing like a different team on both sides of the ball. While the offense under Andy Dalton is soaring to new heights, the defense has struggled heavily.

LB Shaq Thompson, who only played two games last season before fracturing his fibula, has now torn his Achilles and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. The veteran, now in his tenth NFL season, has been an outspoken leader for the team for years. The longest-tenured Panther now sits with fellow defensive stalwart Derrick Brown on injured reserve.

Along with Thompson and Brown, the Panthers have been missing multiple starters on defense. DT Shy Tuttle, SS Jordan Fuller, and now LB Josey Jewell, have all been sorely missed for the league's worst defense.

A severe lack of pass rush has crippled a once-proud Carolina defense. Without it, opposing offenses have been able to do whatever they want against the Panthers.

Canales is determined, however, to right the ship. The first-year head coach mentioned during his postgame presser, putting his players into position to succeed, while addressing the team's sloppy tackling. "If we rally up and tackle, make them work, make the opposing offense have to work for every point they get. They got a couple of big plays on us, and that was the difference in the game.”

The team travels to Chicago to face Caleb Williams and the Bears this Sunday. Before the season began, many would pick Chicago to win this matchup without a second thought. This new Panthers squad, however, will make those same people reconsider their prediction.

Even if Carolina walks away with another close loss, the players, coaches, and fans alike will continue to hold on to the optimism that has eluded them for years.