Panthers @ Seahawks Week 3 Game Preview

Carolina Panthers @ Seattle Seahawks 

The Carolina Panthers enter this game 0-2 with a -17.0 point differential—the third-worst mark in the league behind only the Giants and Bears.

While their defense has kept them somewhat competitive in both games, their offense has been an absolute nightmare. The 27.0 points they’ve managed to score on the season has them tied with the Bengals for the worst production through two games. 

Bryce Young (153-1-0, 2-34) has been the anti-HIM thus far. 

The number one overall pick has shown far less adaptability than either CJ Stroud or Anthony Richardson—who both also landed on poor NFL franchises. Young’s 4.2 yards per attempt mark has him tied for last in the league in that stat through two weeks. 

The Panthers' conundrum on offense isn’t all Young’s fault. Their receiving core lacks upside, and the longest passing play they have been able to complete all season was a 22-yard catch by Jonathan Mingo (3-26-0) against prevent defense when they were down two scores last week.

If the Panthers can’t get Mingo and D.J. Chark (1-15) going against a Seattle secondary that has allowed 8.9 yards per attempt against thus far—and looked mostly inept in coverage—then you can raise the alert level from three-alarm to five-alarm on the dumpster fire scale. 

Sep 18, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) keeps the ball and is chased by New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The ground game with Miles Sanders (14-43, 3-4) has looked impressive in spurts, but as New Orleans showed in Week 2, it’s easy to stop the run when you don’t have to worry about big play potential in the passing game.

Seattle’s 2.9 yards per carry allowed is third-best in the league, and their classic funnel to the pass defense is going to force the Panthers to beat them through the air—not ideal for Carolina given how that part of their offense has operated to date.  

Admittedly, the Seahawks' defense couldn’t make a stop against Detroit or the Rams to save their life, but their offense kicked things into high gear in Week 2.

Geno Smith (328-2-0) proved once again that he’s more than capable of carving up bad secondaries and averaged 8.0 yards per attempt against Detroit, while using his mobility nicely to avoid the Lions' rush on numerous occasions.

The Panthers have landed 8 sacks on the season but only recorded 10 pressures through two games. If their pass rush can’t disrupt Smith, this could be a very long day for the Panthers again, who will be without their best corner in Jaycee Horn. 

From a targeting perspective, don’t be shocked if this ends up being the breakout game for rookie Jaxson Smith-Njigba (5-34).

He’s maintained a 17% target share through two weeks and is likely to see a bump on his extremely suppressed 1.8-yard ADOT soon. Getting their first-round rookie more involved against this weaker team may be on the Seahawks' list of things to do for Week 3.

The matchups this week do favor the passing games, but it’s hard to get overly excited about anything the Panthers have been doing. The lack of big play potentiality is likely going to embolden the Seahawks' defensive line and potentially give their secondary more opportunity to make plays. 

This line moved dramatically from 4.5/+4.5 to 6.0/+6.0 right after the Panthers' loss to the Saints, and it may not be finished moving, either.

We’re likely to see better stats from Young in Week 3, but it’s probably not going to result in enough points for an upset, or even a cover.