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Panthers TE Tommy Tremble gets brutally honest about blowout loss to Patriots

Tremble was easily Carolina's best player in Sunday's humiliating defeat, but that bar was set extremely low.
Tim Weaver|
Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble (82) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13) during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble (82) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13) during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers got thoroughly manhandled in all three phases by the New England Patriots this week. While it was a sobering reality check of a loss, it would be inaccurate to say that every single player had a poor performance. If nothing else, the tight ends came to play, as rookie Mitchell Evans and veteran Tommy Tremble were two rare silver linings for the Panthers.

Tremble got things off to a good start by finishing Carolina's opening drive with a touchdown catch, just the 10th of his five-year career. He nearly scored again late in the game but fell out of bounds just short of the pylon.

Here's what Tremble had to say after his team's 42-13 loss to the Patriots.

By now Tremble was supposed to have been supplanted by the team's 2024 fourth-round draft pick, Ja'Tavion Sanders. However, Sanders was inactive on Sunday due to an ankle injury that kept him out of practice all week.

Even when Sanders has been in the lineup the results have been underwhelming, though. So far this season Sanders has caught 11 of 14 targets but has totaled just 92 yards and has not scored yet. To date he has only one touchdown catch in 19 games.

That's pretty typical of the kind of production Carolina has gotten from the tight end position in the post Greg Olsen era. And it's one of many, many things that have to change if this team is ever going to see the playoffs again.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.