Normally coming off a 35-3 victory over a division rival would give an organization a huge upper hand heading into the following week. This is the situation the Carolina Panthers have found themselves in after a massive win over the Atlanta Falcons last week. Carolina’s week three matchup against the Cleveland Browns looks favorable on paper for Dave Canales but there the injury report could make a massive difference in how this game is played.
Earlier this week, running back Jonathan Brooks was placed on the IR as he is facing a surgery that will keep him sidelined at least 6 weeks. While Brooks had yet to break out this season like many expected, he was still part of the game plan every week and this news forced Canales and his staff to start prepping how they were going to manage the run game in Cleveland. Unfortunately for Canales, this is far from the end of injuries looming in the Panthers’ lockroom.
In week one, the Panthers defense seemed to look like the absolute worst in the league but then they followed that up with a performance in Atlanta that showed they might actually have potential. Week three will now be a massive question mark as they face a bottom-tier offense but will be without LB Devin Lloyd who was seemingly in every defensive play a week ago. Lloyd is dealing with a calf injury and has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game.
In addition to Lloyd, LB Claudin Cherelus has also been ruled out with a shoulder injury. Panthers fans may say to themselves, well at least the secondary is strong and can help prevent big plays. Not so fast. The secondary is not at full strength either as S Nick Scott is out with a rib injury.
It is starting to look like if the Panthers want to prove themselves this week, they are going to have to put up a large number of points. Through the first two weeks of the season, Carolina QB Bryce Young ranks second in passing yards at 648. While this is encouraging, a lot of those yards have been to Jalen Coker who, yes you guessed it, is on the injury report. Coker is currently listed as questionable with an ankle concern so he could still play but Carolina will need to have a plan in case he is not available. This would bump Xavier Leggette up to WR2, right? Oh boy.
Leggette himself is also questionable with a knee injury, creating the largest amount of uncertainty Canales and the Panthers could have ever imagined this early in the season. If there is anything good trending for Carolina heading into week three, it is that they are facing the Cleveland Browns and should now have full trust in their quarterback, Bryce Young.
Given all of these wild circumstances, it is possible that we could see a sloppy game on Sunday. From Canales’ perspective, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with just managing the game, putting up just enough points to get a victory on the road and getting the heck out of town. We will see what the Panthers’ staff can cook up before 1:00 p.m. ET Sunday with all of their challenges.
