Is It Time for Carolina Panthers Fans to Hit the Panic Button?

I don't know what to make of this Panthers team yet. Three weeks in, Carolina is 1-2, but every game has looked completely different. They gave up 59 points to Chicago, beat Atlanta 34-3, and then somehow lost 21-18 to Cleveland in a game they led late.

So, are we panicking yet? I have a couple of things I'm definitely worried about, but after three games, I'm not ready to say this season is already headed in the wrong direction.

At least not yet.

The 1-2 Record: Don't Panic

Sep 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver John Metchie III (13) celebrates with tight end Tommy Tremble (82) after scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I'm really not that worried about being 1-2. Would I rather Carolina be 2-1? Of course, and after watching Sunday's game, I think they probably should be. That's what makes the record a little frustrating.

Chicago was bad. There's really no way around giving up 59 points, 552 yards, and 291 yards on the ground. I left that game wondering if the defense was going to be a problem all season.

Then Carolina went to Atlanta and won 34-3. A week later, the Panthers held Cleveland to 259 yards and had an 18-13 lead late in the fourth quarter.

That's enough for me to give them a little more time before I start worrying about the record. If Carolina were getting blown out every week and sitting at 1-2, I'd feel completely different.

That's not what's happening.

Verdict: Don't panic.

All These Field Goals: Panic

This one I don't like. Ryan Fitzgerald kicked four field goals against Cleveland, and I'm glad he made them, especially the 53-yarder. But I'd rather not spend every Sunday writing about how many field goals the Panthers kicked.

Carolina finished with 360 yards, so moving the football wasn't really the problem. They kept getting close and then coming away with three points. I kept waiting for one of those drives to finally end with a touchdown, and it didn't happen until late.

You can't keep doing that.

Maybe four field goals gets you a win some weeks, but Sunday it didn't. When you lose by three points, it's pretty easy to look back at all those drives and wonder what happens if just one of them ends with seven instead of three.

Until I see Carolina start finishing more of those drives, this one worries me.

Verdict: Panic.

The Defense: Don't Panic

I would've had a completely different answer two weeks ago. After Chicago, I was worried. How could you not be after watching a team run for 291 yards?

But now we've seen two more games. Atlanta scored three points, and Cleveland finished with 259 yards. Carolina did that Sunday without Devin Lloyd and Nick Scott.

Am I completely sold on the defense now? No. I'm still not ready to pretend the Chicago game never happened, and I want to see this for more than two weeks before I say everything is fine.

But I'm definitely not where I was after Week 1.

Verdict: Don't panic.

Bryce Young: Don't Panic

I know the interception is going to be the thing everybody remembers from Sunday's game. It was bad. Carolina got the football back with a chance to tie or win the game, and Bryce Young made a mistake at about the worst possible time, though pressure and a hit by a defender may have impacted the throw.

I'm not going to defend the throw, but I'm also not going to act like that one play wipes out everything else we've seen from him through three games. Young has thrown for 939 yards and seven touchdowns, and there have been stretches where I think he has looked really good.

What I don't understand is why he threw it 48 times Sunday. Chuba Hubbard had 82 yards on 19 carries, and I've been asking for more Hubbard for a couple of weeks now. If he's averaging more than four yards per carry, give him the ball.

Young doesn't need to throw it 48 times.

Verdict: Don't panic.

Not Finishing Games: Panic

This is the one that bothers me. You're up 18-13 with less than five minutes left, and at some point you have to find a way to win that game. I know it's not always that simple, but at some point it kind of is.

The defense had a chance to close it out and couldn't. Then Cleveland scored, Carolina got the ball back, and the offense had a chance to answer. They couldn't do it either.

That's why this loss bothers me more than Chicago. The Bears beat Carolina pretty convincingly.

The Cleveland game felt like one the Panthers gave away.

I want to see what this team does the next time it's in that situation. We've spent a lot of time wondering whether this Panthers team is actually different, and I think games like Sunday are where we're going to find out.

Verdict: Panic.

Final Verdict: Don't Panic

So after all of that, am I hitting the panic button? No, at least not yet. I know Carolina is 1-2, there are things that need to get fixed and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what this team is.

But I keep coming back to one thing: I think the Panthers should be 2-1. Maybe that's why I'm not panicking. If I watched Sunday and thought Carolina had no business being on the same field as Cleveland, I'd probably feel a lot differently.

That's not what happened.

The Panthers had chances to win and didn't take advantage of them. That's frustrating, but after three weeks, I don't think it's time to decide that this team is in trouble.

So no, I'm not hitting the panic button yet.

But I'm definitely keeping it close by.

Final verdict: DON'T PANIC.

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