CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers guard Robert Hunt has been in playoff games at raucous Buffalo and Kansas City, but said the energy at Bank of America Stadium in Saturday's 34-31 loss to the heavily-favored Los Angeles Rams could "compete with anyone." "This place was rocking," Hunt said. "That was beautiful, and that was real playoff football." The Panthers and quarterback Bryce Young proved they could compete with anyone after taking the Rams, a 10-point favorite, to the wire despite an 8-9 regular-season record.
Carolina Panthers safety Tre'von Moehrig's one-game suspension for striking San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings in the groin area has been upheld on appeal, the league announced Wednesday night. Moehrig, who coach Dave Canales said is dealing with an ankle injury, will miss Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams. The suspension will cost Moehrig $65,000, or an 18th of his $1.17 million salary.
You can't get days back. If you have a bad day on Thursday, tough day on Friday, or whatever, you can always look forward but you can't get that day back. So that preparation, a lack thereof, it's going to add up. Unfortunately, it just cultivated into what we saw.
One problem with the NFL trade deadline is that it's too early for some teams to make hard-and-fast decisions -- even though it has been moved back a week. The Panthers, for instance, enter Week 9 with a 4-4 record. Should they add? Should they trade players for draft picks? The answer probably depends on their outlook for the rest of the season, and whether they're real contenders now or still at least a year away. As a result, they probably stand pat this week.
Dalton is happy in his role as Bryce Young's backup at Carolina, which is above .500 (4-3) for the first time this late in the season since 2019. The soon-to-be 38-year-old is ready for an opportunity to start, which appears likely Sunday against the Buffalo Bills ( 1 p.m. ET, Fox), as Young is dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in the third quarter of Sunday's 13-6 win at the New York Jets.
