6 Winners and 5 Losers from Carolina Panthers' Ugly Loss to the Cleveland Browns

The Carolina Panthers had their worst outing of the season so far in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. The offense was not up to its usual standard, and the defense benefited from some bad offense on Cleveland's part. It all resulted in a tough loss.

Winner: Lathan Ransom

#Panthers SAF Lathan Ransom is having a great game. Leads the team in tackles today (6).

There is a legit difference in play from the back end with Nick Scott out, tbh.
— Jared Feinberg (@Jared_NFLDraft) September 27, 2026

The Panthers' defense played a pretty solid game, though the Browns' offense really helped them out. Lathan Ransom's presence on the back end in place of Nick Scott helped. He dropped a would-be interception, but he was otherwise one of the best defenders on the team.

Loser: Rasheed Walker

Jared Verse with speed-to-power against Rasheed Walker, who has shown problems against it in this early season.
— Jared Feinberg (@Jared_NFLDraft) September 27, 2026

Rasheed Walker had a tough game, including some early penalties and protection woes. He's struggled with the Jared Verse-type rusher, and Verse made his mark for the first time this season at the expense of Walker. Protection was abysmal all day, and Walker's struggles were right in the middle of it.

Winner: Maema Njongmeta

It's been a swell week for Maema Njongmeta:

- Gets re-signed to p-squad after sitting at home for two weeks
- Gets promoted to the 53-man roster a few days later
- Gets to special teams tackles and forced fumble in his first game back.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) September 27, 2026

It's telling that one big play was enough to make someone a winner today, but Maema Njongmeta did just that. Coming off an ugly first half, the Panthers needed something, and Njongmeta forced a fumble on the kickoff to get the Panthers a much-needed possession.

Loser: Chuba Hubbard

Panthers run game is embarrassing today
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 27, 2026

No Jonathon Brooks should've meant a big game for Chuba Hubbard, but he just could not get it going. The Browns' defense is no slouch, but Hubbard just didn't have a whole lot of juice on Sunday. After two solid outings, this was a disappointing turn for the veteran running back. Hubbard got much better later on, but we can't simply rely on a tired defense for the run game to make an impact.

Winner: Sam Martin

As mentioned, it was hard to find many winners today, but Sam Martin helped keep the Browns at bay when called on. He had some nice punts and no real mistakes, and with how the game played out, that was pretty significant.

Loser: Dave Canales

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dave Canales had all week to game plan for the Browns, and they did not seem to have anything that could work ready to go. No one on offense really looked prepared, and the penalty issues reared their ugly head once again. It was a tough outing for the third-year head coach. The fourth-down failure decisions weren't terrible, but the execution on both was lacking. Neither he nor Brad Idzik seemed to have the right answers.

Winner: Brycen Tremayne

Tremayne with a HUGE catch#CARvsCLE

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/d3yuCYN38O
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 27, 2026

Brycen Tremayne is a special teamer. He rarely sees the field on offense. On Sunday, he became WR2 with several pass-catchers out. He stepped up when called on, consistently making good catches and getting extra yards when they were there to be had. The next man up, Tremayne is a big winner today.

Loser: Luke Fortner

Communication between quarterback and center was not great today. Luke Fortner's pass-blocking on Mason Graham was not good, and he was completely unable to make an impact in the run game, either. It was an ugly game for the veteran center. Perhaps it's time for Sam Hecht to get a chance.

Winner: Ryan Fitzgerald

Where would we be without Ryan Fitzgerald? Imagine this contest with Eddy Pineiro kicking. You can imagine it would've been a lot worse. Aside from the clutch field goals that provided all the offense, Fitzgerald was pretty good on kickoffs, too.

Loser: Tyrel Dodson

Forced into action because of multiple linebacker injuries, Tyrel Dodson came up short. He got absolutely lost in coverage, leaving Harold Fannin Jr. wide open for the go-ahead score with under two minutes left in the game. We believe Devin Lloyd would not have made that crushing mistake.

Slight Winner: Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reacts after a play against the Cleveland Browns | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bryce Young didn't have his best stuff today, and it was obvious. The Browns' defense gave him fits. But having no run game for most of the contest, no protection, and no wide receivers makes life insanely difficult. He didn't make big mistakes and he made plays when it mattered most.

Bonus Loser: Mark Schlereth

This has nothing to do with the Panthers specifically, but Panthers fans were big losers today for having to listen to Mark Schlereth. He's always been prone to criticizing Bryce Young ad nauseam, but he was on one today, all while balancing it with a completely undeserved hype train for Deshaun Watson.

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