Roberts Review: Bryce Young's Future and Why Panthers' Week 1 Loss Feels Different

The Carolina Panthers got absolutely blasted by the Chicago Bears. 37 points (and 31 through three quarters) is typically enough to win a football game, but they allowed 59 to Chicago. It was an embarrassing display.

As is the case every week in the NFL, talking points are flying. We have one week to analyze, discuss, and react. And after stewing in the 22-point season-opening loss, here's my take on some of those key points.

Bryce Young has a bright future

It's only Week 1. It was also a Bears defense that, to be totally honest, isn't great. Bryce Young still looked incredible. Aside from the interception, which was ultimately a solid throw in a spot where the ball simply had to go downfield and was a great play by Malik Muhammad, he was excellent.

If the Panthers are going to struggle this year, I'd personally rather it be the way it was on Sunday with excellent offense and poor defense. Yes, Carolina spent an unfathomable amount on defense, but the future hinges much more on the offense since they have a former number one overall pick QB and an offensive coach.

Young more than did his part on Sunday afternoon, and it bodes really well. That's the major silver lining from an otherwise ugly loss.

It's time to fire Ejiro Evero

Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson (2) talks with defensive coach Ejiro Evero | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I have put off taking a hard stance on Ejiro Evero for so long. For most of his tenure, he simply hasn't had the talent, so while a firing wouldn't have disappointed me, I understood why the Panthers kept him around. He's a well-liked coach around the NFL, and he may someday be a head coach.

But we're past that now. The talent is there, and Evero had all offseason to prepare for the Bears. 59 points and almost 600 yards of total offense is unforgivable. Losing Nic Scourton can't be the excuse that keeps him around again if he can't turn it around.

The Panthers should want to be a serious franchise. They should want to compete. And while it's only Week 1, we have more than enough evidence from the last few seasons that Evero's scheme just isn't working here. Maybe he is a good coordinator. I'm inclined to believe he can be since he was in Denver. He just isn't here, and it's time to move on.

An interesting WR conversation is fully open

Some underlying analytics suggested that Jalen Coker might've outperformed Tetairoa McMillan when both are on the field. McMillan was still WR1 on Sunday, but Coker made the case that he should be. It's starting to look like a 1A/1B situation.

Now, there's a whole lot of nuance to that. McMillan is the WR1 and the reigning Rookie of the Year. Defensive coverages are going to tilt towards him, not Coker. Coker has been great at taking advantage of that, and he did so on Sunday for a career day.

It also wasn't McMillan's best game, so it's wise not to judge everything so quickly. But if you include the last few games of 2025, it's starting to look like there's no discernible gap between the two wide receivers, which is ultimately a great problem to have.

Not the same type of loss

Dave Canales is winless in season openers. It's been bad. This time, though, it was different. This wasn't the Atlanta Falcons winning because Bryce Young was starting the worst rookie season in modern NFL history. It wasn't the New Orleans Saints dunking on Carolina 47-10. It wasn't even the Jacksonville Jaguars' loss last year.

This was a much more encouraging sort of loss. The offense was electric. There were some alarming mistakes, like Jimmy Horn Jr.'s muffed punt, Tetairoa McMillan's fumble, and crucial, backbreaking penalties, but otherwise, things looked a whole lot better than they have to start seasons.

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