That was better - even if it was against the backups.
While the Carolina Panthers starting offense did not score on their opening drive, they did punch it into the end zone on the second one.
Their final preseason game will be on Friday and rosters must be down to 53 by 6p.m., Eastern time on Sunday.
Let’s review what happened in Jacksonville.
THE REVIEW
It was good to see Jonathon Brooks get into the end zone for the first time. He also had an 11 yard run and drew a pass interference penalty down by the goal line. Pass protection is still a work in progress as he missed a 3rd down block on the Panthers first drive. But, he did rebound on the second drive where he got hands on a blitzed and allowed Bryce Young to throw a first down strike to Tommy Tremble.
If the Panthers want to win the division again, Brooks will have to be a key cog in that formula. So far, so good.Young didn’t take a sack on his six drop backs.
Jimmy Horn has speed and he showed it off on a 39 yard run. It looked like he was going to take it to the house but got tripped up at the end. The Panthers need speed in light of Chris Brazzell’s season ending injury and Horn made a big case to show why he should be on the roster against Jacksonville.
Jimmy Horn showed off his big play ability on Friday. PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Stein of Panthers.com John Metchie III had six grabs for 77 yards. His two best plays were grabbing a tough 15 yarder in traffic to convert a first down and a 25 yard catch and run near the end of the third quarter.
We knew Ryan Fitzgerald had a leg. We didn’t know he had range from 60 but he showed us he did by nailing a 61-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
Young was pressured on three of his six drop backs. Getting pressured on half of your drop backs isn’t ideal for any sort of success.
RANDOM THOUGHT
Thank God David Tepper wasn’t willing to guarantee every penny of Deshaun Watson’s contract when the Panthers pursued him in March of 2022. The Cleveland Browns were willing to do so and sent Houston Texans three first-round picks, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick to acquire his services.
The result? One of the worst trades of all-time in any sport. The city of Cleveland absolutely hates him and booed him every chance they got on Saturday.
The Matt Rule era and the 2023 season were hard enough for Panthers fans, at least they avoided the Watson disaster.
Yeah I can’t believe we dodged the Watson bullet