Carolina’s offense put together another poor performance in Thursday’s 16-13 loss to Chicago, registering a season-low 213 yards with just 12 first downs.
While the club didn’t turn the ball over, No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young finished 21-of-38 passing for just 185 yards.
Receiver Adam Thielen called it “an embarrassing effort” collectively on offense while Young noted that everyone is frustrated.
“Frustrating situation to be in,” Young said in his postgame press conference. “It’s not who we are, who we want to be. That’s what the — we are what we put on tape, we are what we put on the field, and we have to be better. You know, our defense [played a] great game, start to finish. We have to be better. I have to be better first and foremost. I have to be a lot better.
“So we have to be better. It’s frustrating. It’s very frustrating. And that’s not me. That’s not just me. That’s everyone. We’re competitors. Losing is frustrating. You know, it’s fresh, you feel it, but at the end of the day you got to turn the page.”
Young added that being frustrated is “not going to win a game and not going to help,” saying instead that the Panthers have to put in the work during practice and make it translate to the field.
“We come off practices feeling good a lot of times,” Young said. “We talk about little things and carry it over. But, again, the coaches do a great job cultivating that from us. But we haven’t been able to translate that. That hasn’t been able to show up, especially consistently. That’s not good enough.
“You know, it’s a work in progress to find what that disconnect is. We all have to look in the mirror and figure out what we can do to help. Again, a lot of things I can do better and a lot of things I need to do better. Again, I’m right there. I got to make sure it translates well just like everyone. You know, we’re going to find that answer together.”
Young added there’s a “long list” of things that he specifically has to improve.
“From my standpoint, being better with everything,” Young said. “Being more accurate. Getting through things faster. Make better decisions. Managing situations better. It’s all-encompassing.
“Again, especially considering the way our defense played, special teams, we had all the opportunities in the world and ultimately didn’t execute. That’s on me.”
Some of that may be true, but Carolina’s offense has been poor in totality. The club has scored just two rushing touchdowns this season and is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry.
Through eight games, Young has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,560 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, which works out to a 75.9 passer rating.
The Panthers have some extra time to work things out with a long weekend and a date with the Cowboys upcoming in Week 11.