Panthers See Two Defenders Earn Honors After Dominant Week 2 Showing

Sports admin September 22, 2026 0 Comments

Panthers See Two Defenders Earn Honors After Dominant Week 2 Showing

The Carolina Panthers gave fans plenty of reasons to be concerned after Week 1.

The team’s defense was atrocious, and the Chicago Bears scored 59 points and put up over 500 yards. The run defense, in particular, was non-existent, as the Bears rushed for six touchdowns.

Perhaps even more disappointing was the fact that several key players either played poorly or didn’t play at all. For example, high-priced offseason addition Devin Lloyd was not good, and rookie defensive back Zakee Wheatley was a healthy scratch.

Luckily, Week 2 couldn’t have gone any more differently, especially for Lloyd and Wheatley.

After giving up a million yards and points in Week 1, the unit only gave up 286 yards and three points in Week 2. The Falcons threw for just 129 yards, and the Panthers forced five turnovers.

Lloyd and Wheatley were a big part of the turnovers, which is why they’re receiving their flowers.

Lloyd, Wheatley Make PFF Team of the Week

After each week of games, the Pro Football Focus team chooses its team of the week. To nobody’s surprise, the Panthers have a couple of defensive selections after the unit’s dominant showing.

Lloyd and Wheatley both made PFF’s list on defense, while Wheatley was also chosen as rookie of the week. Lloyd legitimately had one of the best defensive performances you’ll ever see in a game.

The veteran linebacker collected nine tackles, three pass breakups, two interceptions, two tackles for loss, and one sack. Lloyd also ran one of those interceptions back for a score. Lloyd is the first linebacker since 1982 to record 8+ tackles, 2+ interceptions, an interception-return touchdown, and a sack in a single game.

As for Wheatley, the rookie ended with five tackles and one forced fumble. Wheatley earned a 93.6 grade for his 31 snaps, which was the highest grade of any defender on the team. It’s not the biggest sample size, but it’s an encouraging development considering Wheatley couldn’t even get on the field in Week 1.

“Wheatley made his NFL debut Sunday and made a big impact across 31 snaps. He finished with a 91.5 PFF coverage grade, highlighted by a forced fumble on a quarterback scramble on the opening play of the game,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinness explained.

If Wheatley can build on this performance, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take over the starting safety role eventually. However, Nick Scott did also have a solid game in Week 2. We’ll just have to see how the defense looks against a non-Falcons team.

This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 1:02 PM.