At this time last week, it was probably easier to find the lost city of El Dorado than a Carolina Panthers fan who still believed that patience was a virtue.
Not only did the team enter this 2025 campaign on a seven-year playoff drought, the longest in franchise history, but they proceeded to begin it on yet another disappointing note. With losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, Carolina stacked up their fourth straight 0-2 start and torpedoed the hopes for another real step forward.
Well, that changed quite suddenly here in Week 3.
On Sunday, the Panthers dominated the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium to pick up a stunning 30-0 victory. The outing marked their first win of the season and their first shutout since 2020.
Their surprisingly complete performance was sparked, in another shocker, by the defense and coordinator Ejiro Evero—who may have called his best game in his three seasons with the organization. Evero seemingly had the personnel he needed, as he ran his well-known and unique exotic looks up front while extracting physicality and explosive plays from his defenders.
The offense, in a refreshing change of pace, fed off Evero’s unit. Quarterback Bryce Young and company weren’t exactly dynamic—but they were clean and efficient, totaling zero turnovers while winning the time-of-possession battle at 31:58 to 28:02.
Heck, the special teams came to play too. Their suffocating coverage held the Falcons to a paltry average of 11.6 yards per kickoff return and their kicker, rookie Ryan Fitzgerald, nailed all three of his field goal attempts—including the second-longest (57 yards) in team history.
While there is still some building to be done, yesterday’s win was the most encouraging offering we’ve seen from the Panthers in some time. And it is one, perhaps for the first time in head coach Dave Canales’ tenure, that displayed true signs of progress.
Now, with a relatively favorable stretch of opponents ahead, is the time for Canales and company to work towards making Sunday’s triumph count.
They can continue their ascension up north next week, when they visit the New England Patriots. Although things may also be looking up there, these aren’t your dad’s Pats—and they’re beatable.
The tour against the east then proceeds with home matchups against the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys, and then a trip to see the New York Jets. The winless Dolphins and the winless Jets are still trying to find themselves while the 1-2 Cowboys, who allowed 71 points and 891 yards over the last two weeks, are still trying to find the wide receivers of the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears.
As the youth and the chemistry on Carolina’s roster continues to grow, so should their win total. And hopefully for the Panthers, and their more-than-patient fans, the Week 3 drubbing of their NFC South foes won’t go in vain as the year goes on.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers inspire hope for 2025 with Week 3 drubbing of Falcons
