The Carolina Panthers have gotten a few breaks early in this season thanks to the NFL schedule.
That’s not the case heading from Week 7 to Week 8, though, when the schedule looms as a bit of bad news for the Panthers after a humbling 43-13 loss on Sunday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It was a brutal day at the office all around for Carolina. They gave up 33 points in the first half thanks in part to three turnovers as well as a blocked extra point returned for 2 points for the Bucs.
They also lost Taylor Moton to a bad leg injury in just his second game since returning from blood clot problems.
Most of the things that could’ve gone wrong did go wrong for the Panthers, and now the schedule is sending them right back out onto the field.
Panthers’ Next Game
You see, the Panthers will play on Thursday Night Football in Week 8. That means the dreaded quick turnaround from a Sunday game to a Thursday game.
It provides very little time to recover or to prepare.
Panthers coach Dave Canales even suggested after Sunday’s game that Carolina had already recognized that it was almost like they had to get things ready for two games at once.
Teams often handle things a little differently on the Sunday before a Thursday, giving players slightly lessened workloads or trying to hide certain plays to save for later in the week.
The Panthers got boat-raced so thoroughly that it’s hard to know if they had any such plans. The reality now is they just have to find a way to rebound.
“The Buccaneers had been slumping, and Mayfield had an injured throwing thumb, and yet the Panthers looked obsolete on their home turf,” ESPN’s Mike Kaye wrote after the game. “On a day when franchise legend Luke Kuechly was honored at halftime, everything that could go wrong went wrong for Carolina. Special teams had a pair of embarrassing blunders that led to points for the Bucs. Young coughed up the ball three times in the first three quarters. The defense gave up 322 net yards and four TDs. The Panthers will have just a few days to recover before Thursday’s game.”
Panthers’ Next Opponent
The Panthers won’t be facing a pushover on Thursday night, either. They head to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers are coming off a hard-fought Sunday loss to the Detroit Lions.
The one bit of good news for the Panthers is they pulled their starters before Week 7 ended, using backups down the stretch against the Bucs. It wasn’t for a pleasant reason, but it ensured a bit more battery life for those guys when they get to Thursday.
Carolina Panthers Face Bad News in NFL Schedule