Grading Panthers’ horrific Week 2 performance in lopsided loss to Los Angeles Chargers

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Boos rained down onto the field at Bank of America Stadium like a cacophony of doom as the Carolina Panthers jogged to their home locker room on Sunday afternoon at halftime. The hosting squad was down 20-0 to the Los Angeles Chargers, who traveled from the West Coast to drain any remaining iota of hope that was left for Panthers fans and their lackluster team.

QB Bryce Young completed 80% of his passes in the first half, but those completions led to just 22 yards. The Panthers’ defense produced an interception in the first quarter, but also gave up 204 total yards and three touchdowns to the Chargers and QB Justin Herbert.

And while Week 1’s throttling in New Orleans was damning in every sense of the word, there was something eerily dystopian about the home-opener effort. Even with some glimpses of impressive play, the Panthers couldn’t bother to play one lick of competent and complementary football.

The Chargers rode their three-score halftime lead to a final score of 23-6. The Panthers were, once again, pathetic. The Carolina QB looked incompetent. And the rest of the squad lost its way in the crossfire.

For first-year head coach Dave Canales, this has to be the worst-case scenario. For everyone else, it was another pitiful helping of tape that should be burned, buried and banished to a place where no one can find it.

Here is how each unit graded out in Sunday’s disastrous game:

Bryce Young, Panthers’ pass offense vs. Chargers

Young produced more turnovers than first-down conversions in the first half. While Canales tried to protect Young with short, quick passes, the offense couldn’t make plays after the catch. Young averaged 2.2 yards gained per throw in the first half, and he tossed a brutal interception with 3:27 left in the first half.

Young targeted five different receivers for a measly 22 yards and an interception in the first two quarters. His longest pass was a jump-ball throw to running back Chuba Hubbard around the line of scrimmage that went for just five yards. It was a pitiful first-half performance after a similarly brutal outing in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints.

The Panthers, knowing that Young was struggling mightily, decide to lean on the run game in the second half. Young had an incompletion on third down during the first scoring drive of the game for Carolina, which forced them into a field goal try.

Young threw just four times in the third quarter for 19 yards.

The second-year quarterback finished the game with 84 passing yards and an interception while completing 18 of 26 passes. He had a 57.2 passer rating. Young’s top target was tight end Tommy Tremble, who caught three passes for 23 yards on four targets.

Grade: F (but Z was considered)

Chuba Hubbard, run offense vs. Los Angeles

For a good chunk of the first half, running backs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders were the only two playmakers — if you could even call them that — on offense. Hubbard picked up 33 yards on six carries (5.5 yards per tote) in the first half. Sanders shipped in another six yards on two carries.

Hubbard did his typically churning routine, as he continued to pick up yards instead of losing them. However, with the passing game struggling, those totes didn’t amount to much.

The Panthers wisely rode Hubbard’s legs to their first scoring drive of the game. On the first series of the second half, Hubbard carried the ball three consecutive plays for 28 yards, including a 23-yard run. The Panthers eventually settled for 38-yard field goal after the passing game let the rest of the offense down.

The Panthers finished with 90 rushing yards on 18 runs (5.0 yards per carry).

Grade: B

Jaycee Horn, pass defense vs. Chargers

As the Chargers marched into the red zone on their first drive, cornerback Jaycee Horn broke up a pass against tight end Eric Tomlinson. The play was initially called as a catch and a forced fumble, recovered by the defense. However, after review, the play was reverted to an incomplete pass. On the very next play, Horn was targeted on a deep shot by Herbert for a touchdown.

Herbert placed a heave in front of wideout Quinton Johnston for a 29-yard touchdown completion. Johnson got a half-step on Horn to the end zone, but the cornerback recovered to try to put the clamps on Johnston. However, the battle of former first-round picks ended with Johnston coming out with the score.

Horn bounced back on the very next drive. Pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney flushed Herbert out of the pocket with a near-sack and forced the QB to throw on the run. Herbert made a poor decision by throwing in traffic and Horn made a leaping pick in Chargers territory. Unfortunately, Carolina’s offense, predictably, couldn’t capitalize.

The coverage alignment didn’t last long, as Herbert was able to guide the Chargers’ offense down the field in 11 plays with a 65-yard drive in the second quarter. The drive was capped by a wide-open touchdown completion to Johnston, who ran by a couple of defenders, most notably linebacker Josey Jewell, in the end zone for the easy score to put the Chargers up by 13.

Herbert completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the first half.

The Chargers continued to ride their running game in the second half, so Herbert took a backseat. He did, however, lose the ball on a third-quarterback sack-fumble produced by outside linebacker D.J. Johnson. The Panthers were able to recover the turnover, but the offense, predictably, did little to reward the defense, again.

Herbert finished with 14 completions for 130 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 20 throws. He led five scoring drives.

Grade: D

Shaq Thompson, run defense vs. Los Angeles

The Chargers rode the running game throughout their first few drives. With Herbert’s up-and-down first quarter, the ground game was a logical strategy for the Chargers, who picked up 36 rushing yards on nine carries on their first three drives.

However, Horn, who had a super active start to the game, made a great ankle tackle on running back Gus Edwards on third-and-1 at the Los Angeles 49-yard line toward the end of the first quarter to force the Chargers off the field with just over a minute remaining. The play went for no gain, and the Chargers played conservative and punted.

The Chargers continued to ride the ground game throughout the first half, picking 133 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries in the first two quarters. J.K Dobbins picked up a 44-yard touchdown score ahead of the two-minute warning in the second quarter. That felt like a back breaker for the Panthers, as the Chargers took a 20-0 lead.

The Chargers’ running game finished with 219 rushing yards and a touchdown on 44 carries.

Grade: F

Eddy Piñeiro, special teams vs. Chargers

During the first few minutes of the game, tight end Feleipe Franks and cornerback Lonnie Johnson were flagged for penalties against returners. Those flags helped enhance drives for the Chargers, though only the first led to a score.

As with last week, kicker Eddy Piñeiro scored the first points of the day. He made a 38-yard field goal attempt following the first drive of the second half.

Punter Johnny Hekker worked overtime, again, despite coming into the game with a back injury. He punted seven times for an average of 44.4 yards per attempt.

Grade: C

Overall grade vs. Los Angeles

If the Panthers were a college student at one of the fine universities in North Carolina, they’d be at the point where they should seriously consider dropping the class.

Unfortunately, add/drop doesn’t exist in the NFL, and the Panthers will simply need to take their lumps. They’ve been outscored 73-13 in the first two games of the season, and this opening stretch was considered to be the most favorable of their schedule.

The fans are booing, the players are yelling at themselves on the sideline, and the poor punter is being used like turnstile at a subway station. And while Canales’ optimism is nice to hear, the reality is that this team somehow looks much worse than last season’s product. Remember, the Panthers went 2-15 last year, which was the worst record in the short history of the 17-game season.

But hey, at least there was nice weather in Charlotte this weekend.

Grade: D-