6 Things We're Looking For as Carolina Panthers Take on Jaguars

The Carolina Panthers will look to turn things around in the preseason as they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The starters are once again expected to play, and they'll be looking to do better than three three-and-outs. Here's everything we're looking for tonight.

Protection for Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws the ball against Buffalo Bills linebacker Greg Rousseau | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The offense flat-out struggled last weekend. This week, both Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt are expected to play, so the protection should be better. The tackles and center are still developing chemistry, but Hunt and Lewis should be fine, so Bryce Young should have more time to throw. If he doesn't, or the struggles continue, it may be a bigger issue.

Pass rush

The pass rush was the only thing that excelled last week vs. the Buffalo Bills. We're hoping that continues this week, with Jaelan Phillips continuing his excellent play. This time, he is likely to be joined by Pat Jones, the current starter. It will be important to note how well he plays with Phillips since that's the most likely duo for the regular season, especially since Princely Umanmielen was so good last week.

Wide receivers getting open

If the Panthers' offense wasn't derailed by quick pressure on Bryce Young, the wide receivers also struggled to get open. We know Brad Idzik doesn't want to reveal his best schemes and plays, but we've got to see this wide receiver trio do something to inspire any sort of confidence in the lackluster passing attack.

Jonathon Brooks

We're watching for two things with Jonathon Brooks, and we're watching him closely every week. The first thing is to see whether or not he can hold up against more NFL action considering his previous injury history. The second is how effective he can be. He remained healthy but was ineffective last week. Can he check both boxes this week?

Devin Lloyd

As if it matters much during the preseason, this is a revenge game for Devin Lloyd. What does actually matter, though, is seeing if he can replicate last week's performance. He was barely on the field, but he was excellent, recording a tackle for loss and a QB hit while communicating really well.

LB2 options

Speaking of Lloyd, the battle for who will start opposite him is raging, and there's no clear favorite between Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherilus. Tonight's contest will be huge, because it's the penultimate opportunity to put good tape on film and convince the coaches that one should start over the other.

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