Initial Thoughts on Panthers' Loss to Seahawks

The Carolina Panthers dropped to 0-3 Sunday evening with a 10-point road loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Here are a few thoughts from the game:

Dalton starting could be a good thing

I know getting the actual reps is the best thing way for a rookie quarterback to learn but watching Dalton operate in a tough environment like that is something Young can benefit from. Plus, things could have gone much worse if he were in the game in terms of the communication aspect of it. That's an extremely challenging place to play your third career game and if communication isn't on point, something bad can happen.

Dalton's still got it

The offense looked like hot garbage in the first two weeks of the season and it felt like Dalton was entering a tough situation because of it. The early season struggles didn't phase him. He played with confidence, had command of the offense, and you could tell the rest of the offense fed off of it. He completed 34-of-58 passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Sophomore slump?

For whatever reason, left tackle Ikem Ekwonu just doesn't appear to be playing with the same level of confidence as he did in the back half of his rookie season. He's not playing with good technique consistently and of course, the penalties were a major issue today. Ekwonu was flagged for false start four times. I know it's early, but it's okay to be concerned with the young tackle.

Injuries

This team just can't evade injuries to key players. Bryce Young, Austin Corbett, Brady Christensen, Shaq Thompson, Jaycee Horn, Marquis Haynes Sr., etc. Tonight, the Panthers saw the following go down - CB CJ Henderson (ankle), S Xavier Woods (hamstring), LB Frankie Luvu (hip), and WR Jonathan Mingo (concussion). This team is already hurting from a depth perspective, so the more starters go down, the worse this season will get.

Penalties

Winning on the road is hard. Winning in Seattle is really hard. We all get it. But 13 penalties? You're not even giving yourself a chance to compete. And if I'm being completely honest, it's a miracle the Panthers stayed in the game for as long as they did.

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