Carolina Panthers' two fatal flaws exposed in disappointing defeat

The Panthers couldn't get it done on Saturday afternoon.

Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) runs against Carolina Panthers linebacker D.J. Wonnum (98) in the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers are a flawed football team. That much is true. Whether they can get into the playoffs with an Atlanta Falcons win tomorrow or not, this is a highly flawed team. Among them, they have two glaring, fatal flaws.

Those flaws both reared their ugly head on Saturday in the loss. There are a lot of reasons they did not win, but these two remain big reasons the Panthers fell short.

The first fatal flaw is that the Panthers are not equipped to succeed if the quarterback is anything less than perfect. They used to be able to run the ball to mitigate that, but that's no longer the case.

Now, the only way this offense can have success is if Bryce Young is at the peak of his powers. It's a lot for any QB, especially one not in the Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes tier of quarterback, to handle.

It was especially true today. The pass-catchers didn't help Young out hardly at all, in fact, they dropped some crucial passes. The protection was not great, and the running game was literally nowhere to be found.

So it shouldn't be surprising that the Panthers did not win. Young had one misfire, and it was an interception which cost them. Otherwise, he was pretty solid, but it didn't matter. The one mistake totally doomed them.

On defense, the much more impactful flaw reared its ugly head. The Panthers cannot rush the passer. They have not been able to for two years. Baker Mayfield could've had a dinner party in the backfield all day today.

And when they did get home, Mayfield's scrambling was too much to bear. The rush couldn't actually bring Mayfield down even when they did pressure him. On more than a few occasions, he ran around and made defenders look silly before making a big play.

In general, not being able to rush the passer is a big deal. That puts strain on the coverage players and allows the offense to get creative. Plus, with a zone scheme, the receivers have all day to settle into an open spot and get a catch.

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