The 2024 NFL regular season is in the books and the Carolina Panthers are finally off their weird, risky roller coaster with a surprisingly strong sense of who they are. This season went off the rails almost from the jump. The whole year was set up as an evaluation period for Bryce Young, but his start was so atrocious that he was benched after just the second game of the season. Dave Canales’ first season as a head coach in the league did not promise much fun for fans—let along success for the team.
We all saw what happened next: a brief rally behind Andy Dalton; more sustained mediocrity; a car crash; and Young’s return.