3 Burning Questions Ahead of Panthers' Week 2 Matchup vs. Falcons

Sports admin September 18, 2026 0 Comments

3 Burning Questions Ahead of Panthers’ Week 2 Matchup vs. Falcons

The Carolina Panthers can’t wait to put Week 1 completely behind them.

The best way to do that would be to pick up a convincing win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. Both of these teams are 0-1, so there will be some real desperation for a win on both sides.

Unfortunately, Week 1 left us with several questions for the Panthers, especially on defense. The unit was abysmal, but the hope is that it was just a fluke. Now, let’s dive into that, and the other burning questions we have ahead of Sunday’s matchup.

Is the Defense THAT Bad?

When you say the Panthers’ defense was bad in Week 1, that’s underselling it. The unit was genuinely terrible, and there were only a couple of decent performances even worth mentioning.

The Bears put up over 500 yards of offense and 59 points. The Bears also rushed for just under 300 yards, which is unheard of. Even if the Panthers’ defense plays 50% better, it would STILL be a bad performance.

Granted, not every offense is as good as the Bears. There’s also hope that the unit made some major adjustments this week. Either way, we’ll find out a lot about this unit in Week 2.

Is Jalen Coker Becoming WR1?

Jalen Coker was the best wide receiver on the field in Week 1. The receiver caught eight passes for 138 yards and two scores. That was the first game with multiple scores for Coker and the most yards of his career.

Tetairoa McMillan, meanwhile, took a while to get going. McMillan ended up having a fine game, catching five passes for 75 yards. However, it can’t be ignored the massive improvement Coker appears to have made over the offseason.

Is it actually possible Coker becomes the main target? I still think that best-case scenario, McMillan is 1A and Coker is 1B.

Can Jonathon Brooks Make More Of an Impact?

From a production standpoint, Jonathon Brooks didn’t do a ton in Week 1. The running back rushed four times for 14 yards and caught one pass for 48 yards.

Brooks did a fine job pass blocking, but it was surprising to see him not get more carries. Granted, the Panthers were playing from behind for the entire game, but even A.J. Dillon got more carries than Brooks.

We entered the season thinking Brooks could legitimately be the starter, but that’s clearly not happening. At least not yet.

This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 2:14 PM.