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Offensive line earns silver lining for Carolina Panthers in otherwise-awful Week 1

Dave Canales’s club was a big disappointment last Sunday. However, not all the news was bad for the Panthers following the team's 16-point loss at Jacksonville.
Russell Baxter|
Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers center Austin Corbett (63) and guard Damien Lewis (68) call out blocking assignments against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers center Austin Corbett (63) and guard Damien Lewis (68) call out blocking assignments against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales’s debut season as an NFL head coach in 2024 saw the Carolina Panthers make progress after the club got off to a miserable 1-7 start. The team won four of its final nine games, and more than doubled its victory total from the previous season (2-15). Quarterback Bryce Young put together a solid 10-game finish and showed great progress after Canales had sat him down after two weeks.

While the young signal-caller got his share of attention for his second-half turnaround, the strength of the Panthers proved to be the play of a much-improved offensive line. Ranked No. 29 by Pro Football Focus in 2023, Carolina’s bolstered front was the eighth-best unit in the league this past season.

“The Panthers' offensive line was arguably the biggest positive surprise of the season,” explained PFF’s Zoltán Buday, "and the most improved unit prior to injuries derailing its season. In fact, all starters missed at least one game due to injury this season.

"While Carolina’s offensive line ranked 27th in PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating in 2023, the unit finished with a 12th-ranked 85.9 rating in 2024. The front five surrendered 154 pressures—including 22 sacks—on 626 pass plays.”

Panthers’ offensive line was a bright spot in loss to Jaguars

So much for late-season momentum. Five days at Jacksonville, Canales’s offense gained just 255 yards and Young turned over the ball three times in a perplexing 26-10 loss. However, not all the news was bad (via The 33rd Team) as Carolina’s offensive front turned in a solid game without starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu.

Yosh Nijman started in place of Ekwonu, and left guard Damien Lewis returned after sitting out the preseason. Carolina finished with a total of 36 pass plays, and Young was sacked just once. Again, it was a disappointing performance by the club, but the team’s strong suit from a season ago appeared to pick up from where it left off in 2024. That play needs to continue this Sunday as the Panthers battle the Cardinals at Arizona.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.