Two Growls One Roar: A Carolina Panthers Podcast

The Carolina Panthers lost two straight, fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and somehow still sit alone in first place in the NFC South at 3-4. On today's Two Growls One Roar podcast we break down a wild week in Charlotte and what it means heading into Sunday's home game against the Denver Broncos.

Segment 1: The 4-3 question. Evero ran a 3-4 base. Interim defensive coordinator Todd Wash ran a 4-3 base as the Jaguars' coordinator from 2016 to 2020 and built three top-10 defenses there. NFL.com expects more four-man fronts now that Wash is calling it, but a full scheme switch eight weeks into the season would be a big ask. With the run defense ranked 30th, 258 rushing yards allowed to the Bucs and 12 games of 200-plus rushing yards allowed under Evero, something has to change up front. How far should Wash go?

Segment 2: Dave Canales' press conference today. Canales called it a heavy weekend, spent it locked in with Wash and the defensive staff building a plan for the final 10 games, and described the move as a personal loss. He met with the leadership council, talked about the locker room's reaction, and reminded everyone the Panthers are in first with everything in front of them. We also run through Evero's numbers: hired in 2023, extended through 2027 last January, and a 2026 defense allowing 27.6 points per game with just 11 sacks.

Segment 3: DeAngelo Hall is back. The Panthers hired the 14-year NFL cornerback, three-time Pro Bowler and 43-interception ballhawk to coach corners for the rest of the season. He was on staff in 2023 and 2024, he lives right here in Charlotte, and Canales says he values Hall's willingness to challenge the status quo. With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on IR, he has a lot of work to do.

Segment 4: Brady Christensen's 21-day practice window is open. He has 59 games, 34 starts and has started at every spot on the offensive line. Plus updates on Jaelan Phillips, Will Lee III, Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks.

Segment 5: The offensive line. Bryce Young was sacked six times, hit nine times and pressured on nearly half his dropbacks at Green Bay. That's 11 sacks in two games with Taylor Moton done for the year, Ikem Ekwonu still out and Damien Lewis inactive. Where does Brady Christensen fit?

Segment 6: NFC South standings and the Broncos. Tampa Bay beat Atlanta 16-0 without completing a pass, Carolina stays on top, and Denver comes to Bank of America Stadium Sunday at 1 p.m.

Question of the day: should Todd Wash go full 4-3 against Denver, or stay hybrid? Drop your answer in the comments.

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The Carolina Panthers made the first coordinator firing of the 2026 NFL season. Less than a day after a 27-19 loss at Green Bay dropped Carolina to 3-4, head coach Dave Canales fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive pass game coordinator Jonathan Cooley. On today's Two Growls One Roar podcast, we break down what went wrong, who takes over, and what it means for a team that somehow still sits in first place in the NFC South.

Segment 1: Evero and Cooley are out. Carolina entered Thursday allowing a league-worst 153.2 rushing yards per game, and the Panthers allowed 200-plus rushing yards 12 times under Evero, the most in the NFL since he arrived in 2023. Add a 59-point opener against Chicago and 70 points allowed in the last two games, and the move was coming. Was it the right call, or three seasons too late?

Segment 2: Todd Wash takes the headset. The longtime defensive line coach is the interim DC and will call plays. Wash ran Jacksonville's defense from 2016 to 2020, including the 2017 unit that ranked second in the league and reached the AFC Championship Game. With only 11 team sacks entering Thursday, can a D-line coach finally unlock the pass rush?

Segment 3: The cornerback crisis. Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and Akayleb Evans are on injured reserve and rookie Will Lee III was carted off at Lambeau with a hamstring injury. Carolina signed former Cowboys corner Caelen Carson to the practice squad, and the trade deadline is November 10. Do the Panthers make a move?

Segment 4: Bryce Young under siege. Six sacks, nine hits and pressure on nearly half his dropbacks in Green Bay, playing in a knee brace behind a banged-up offensive line. Is the slide on Bryce or the line in front of him?

Segment 5: Is Dave Canales on the hot seat? He kept Evero, backed him after the 43-13 loss to Tampa, then fired him less than a week later. Now the rest of 2026 is on him.

Segment 6: NFC South check. Tampa Bay beat Atlanta 16-0 without completing a pass, and Carolina still leads the division at 3-4 with road trips to New Orleans and Tampa coming.

Segment 7: Early look at the Denver Broncos, who visit Bank of America Stadium Sunday, November 8 at 1 PM. Denver brings the league's top pass rush into Todd Wash's first game calling plays.

Your turn: Was firing Evero the fix, or the first domino? Tell us in the comments.

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The Carolina Panthers fell 27-19 to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football at Lambeau Field, their second straight loss, and head into a 10-day break at 3-4. The good news: Carolina is still tied with Atlanta for first place in the NFC South. The bad news: almost everything else.

On today's TGOR Podcast, we break down the loss from top to bottom and look at what the Panthers have to fix before Denver comes to Charlotte on Nov. 8.

In this episode:

Where we stand: Carolina is 3-4 after losses to Tampa Bay (43-13) and Green Bay. The offense has managed 266 and 258 total yards in those two games, and Green Bay built a 17-point third-quarter lead before a late Jalen Coker touchdown made it a one-score game.

Report card: The defense forced three takeaways, including a fumble on the opening kickoff, but the Panthers turned them into only three points. Chuba Hubbard carried the offense with 119 scrimmage yards, a touchdown and a career-high seven catches. The run defense bounced back after giving up 258 rushing yards to the Bucs, holding Green Bay to 65 yards on 25 carries. But Jordan Love shredded Carolina's blitz, and there was almost no pass rush with Jaelan Phillips out again. Plus, we debate the decision to go for two while trailing by 14.

Bryce Young's skid: After a franchise-record 11 touchdown passes through five games, Young has two TD passes and four turnovers over the last two weeks. Green Bay sacked him six times and pressured him on nearly half his dropbacks, while two deep safeties took away Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker. We also look at whether a knee issue is limiting his mobility.

Injury report: The cornerback room is in crisis. Jaycee Horn (torn quad), Mike Jackson (groin) and Akayleb Evans are all on injured reserve, and rookie Will Lee III left Thursday's game with a hamstring injury. By halftime, Carolina was playing a practice-squad corner and a rookie making his NFL debut.

Rumor mill: The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET. Should Dan Morgan go get a corner? We sort fact from speculation on names like Riq Woolen, Marshon Lattimore and Tre'Davious White, and talk about whether two straight losses change Carolina's approach.

NFC South review: Nobody in the division is above .500. Atlanta visits Tampa Bay on Sunday while the Panthers and Saints sit on byes, and that game decides whether Carolina stays in first.

Your turn: If you could make ONE fix during the bye, what is it? Trade for a corner, fix the protection, or ride it out? Let us know in the comments.

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The final injury report is in, and the Carolina Panthers will head into Lambeau Field short-handed. Jaelan Phillips (hamstring), left guard Damien Lewis (knee), cornerback Akayleb Evans (triceps/knee) and backup guard Torricelli Simpkins III (ankle) are all ruled out for Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers, and defensive tackle Bobby Brown III is questionable. That's three starters gone on a short week for a team sitting at 3-3 and still in first place in the NFC South.

On today's TGOR Podcast, we break it all down, Panthers only, fan first.

Segment 1: Four ruled out. We walk through both final injury reports. The Panthers are expected to elevate cornerback Marco Wilson and guard/tackle Jake Curhan from the practice squad, and Green Bay is without linebacker Zaire Franklin, center Sean Rhyan and right guard Travis Glover, with Matthew Golden and three defensive linemen questionable.

Segment 2: The patchwork line. Carolina has just seven healthy offensive linemen on the 53-man roster. Who plays left guard with Damien Lewis out, Corey Bullock or Jake Curhan? Rookie Monroe Freeling steps back in at right tackle with Taylor Moton on IR. The good news: no Micah Parsons for Green Bay.

Segment 3: The pass rush plan. Life without Jaelan Phillips means Patrick Jones II, Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson and newly promoted Nick Hampton have to get home against a Packers line that's missing its starting center and right guard.

Segment 4: Nobody's picking us. Five national experts, zero Panthers picks. We look at the case against Carolina (27.7 points per game allowed, the league's worst run defense) and the case for it: last year's win at Lambeau, holding Josh Jacobs to 87 yards, and an 8-3 record coming off a loss since the start of 2025.

Segment 5: Tetairoa vs. Green Bay. TMac leads Carolina with 36 catches for 511 yards and a 23.2% target share. Green Bay's pass defense ranks 9th, but seven different players have caught a touchdown against it.

Segment 6: NFC South watch. Atlanta visits Tampa Bay on Sunday while New Orleans is on bye. A Panthers win keeps Carolina in first no matter what. A loss plus a Falcons win hands Atlanta the division lead.

Your turn: every expert picked Green Bay. Do the short-handed Panthers make them pay Thursday night? Drop your prediction in the comments.

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The Carolina Panthers head to Lambeau Field for Thursday Night Football as 3.5-point underdogs, and they are doing it with just two healthy cornerbacks on the 53-man roster. On today's Two Growls One Roar podcast, we break down how Carolina plans to survive the Green Bay Packers on a short week, and whether this team can bounce back after Sunday's 43-13 loss to Tampa Bay.

First up, the secondary. With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on injured reserve and Akayleb Evans missing practice Monday and Tuesday, Will Lee III and Chau Smith-Wade are the only healthy corners on the active roster. We go through the whole cornerback room, including the practice squad options like Marco Wilson, Corey Thornton and Robert Rochell, how Ejiro Evero and Jonathan Cooley are building the game plan around each player, and why Smith-Wade moving outside matters. Then we get into the matchup everybody is worried about: Christian Watson, whose 15 explosive plays are tied with Tetairoa McMillan.

Next, Bryce Young's short-week reset. Bryce sat the fourth quarter Sunday after three turnovers and five sacks, and Kenny Pickett finished the game. Dave Canales says Bryce is "ready to rock." We talk about how Bryce is squeezing a full week of film into two days, why Jonathan Gannon's old Arizona defense is part of his homework, and whether Carolina should keep throwing or lean on Chuba Hubbard at Lambeau.

Then it's Wednesday decides it: the Tuesday injury reports for both teams. Jaelan Phillips, Damien Lewis, Akayleb Evans and Torricelli Simpkins III did not practice, while Jalen Coker and Bobby Brown III were full. On the Green Bay side, Micah Parsons and Zaire Franklin are out, and Sean Rhyan, Travis Glover and Matthew Golden are all question marks.

We also look at how Green Bay plans to attack Carolina. Canales expects the Packers to run Josh Jacobs at a defense that just gave up 258 rushing yards, then take deep shots with Jordan Love. We cover Love's numbers, Green Bay's banged-up offensive line, their league-leading penalty count, and why Carolina's pass defense has actually been one of the better units in the NFL.

Finally, trade deadline watch. The NFL trade deadline is November 10, the Colts just moved Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, and cornerback is Carolina's biggest need. We separate what's reported from what's speculation, including the Riq Woolen chatter.

Your turn: do the Panthers trade for a corner before November 10, or ride it out until Horn and Jackson are back? Drop it in the comments.

Subscribe for daily Carolina Panthers coverage from Two Growls One Roar, and follow @TGORPODCAST on X. More at twogrowlsoneroar.com. Also on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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The Carolina Panthers are 3-3 and still on top of the NFC South, but Sunday's 43-13 home loss to Tampa Bay left a lot of damage, and there are only three days to fix it before Thursday Night Football at Lambeau Field.

On today's TGOR Podcast, we start with the biggest news of the day: veteran right tackle Taylor Moton is headed to injured reserve. Moton suffered a fractured fibula and ankle ligament damage against the Bucs and will have season-ending surgery, just two games after returning from the blood clots that kept him out until Week 6. Rookie Monroe Freeling steps back in at right tackle, where he started the first four games of the year.

Then we dig into a run defense that fell apart again. Tampa Bay ran it 49 times for 258 yards, tying the most rushing attempts ever allowed by Carolina, with 17 rushing first downs and 171 yards before contact. The Bucs barely needed Baker Mayfield, who threw just 11 passes. Two weeks after holding Detroit and Philadelphia to 81 combined rushing yards, the Panthers now allow 153.2 rushing yards per game, the most in the NFL. Is it scheme, personnel, or both?

Next is the injury report, and it is long for a short week. Jaelan Phillips (hamstring), Akayleb Evans (triceps/knee), Damien Lewis (knee), Torricelli Simpkins III (ankle) and Bobby Brown III (hand) did not practice Monday. With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on IR, Carolina has only two healthy cornerbacks on the 53-man roster: Will Lee III and Chau Smith-Wade. We go through the practice-squad options Dave Canales named and separate fact from fan-site speculation about adding a corner.

Our Packers preview breaks down a Green Bay team that just had a three-game win streak snapped on a walk-off field goal in Detroit and now sits last in the NFC North at 4-3. The Packers own the NFL's worst rushing attack at 59.9 yards per game, they're still without Micah Parsons, and they've lost linebackers Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin. We look at the matchups that decide this one: Josh Jacobs against Carolina's front, Tetairoa McMillan against the Green Bay secondary, and Rasheed Walker against his former team. Green Bay opened as a 3.5-point favorite, and Carolina won 16-13 at Lambeau last November.

We wrap with an NFC South review. Atlanta knocked off the previously unbeaten 49ers, the Bucs climbed to 2-5, the Saints lost in Paris, and the Falcons and Bucs meet this weekend. A win Thursday keeps the Panthers alone in first no matter what happens in Tampa.

Your turn: Does Carolina's run defense hold up against the NFL's worst run game, or does Josh Jacobs finally break loose Thursday? Tell us in the comments.

Panthers at Packers: Thursday, Oct. 29, 8:15 PM ET on Prime Video.

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The Carolina Panthers walked into Week 7 at 3-2, alone in first place with a game and a half cushion in the NFC South. They walked out 3-3 after a 43-13 home beatdown from a Tampa Bay team that showed up at 1-5 with Baker Mayfield wearing a glove on his throwing hand. On today's TGOR Podcast we break down the whole thing for anyone who couldn't stomach watching it live.

We start with the 26-point second quarter that turned a 7-0 game into a 33-6 halftime hole. A muffed punt, a strip-sack returned for a touchdown, a blocked extra point returned for a defensive two-point conversion, and an interception that set up a touchdown with 12 seconds left. Tampa ran 39 first-half plays to Carolina's 19 and held the ball for nearly 21 of the first 30 minutes.

Then we get into the turnover tax. Carolina gave the ball away four times and Tampa turned all four into points, 20 in total, while the Panthers forced zero turnovers of their own. Tampa's offense needed just 52 yards to cash in those short fields.

The run defense might be the most alarming part. The Bucs ran it 49 times for 258 yards, 5.3 per carry and three touchdowns. Bucky Irving went for 106 and two scores, Kenneth Gainwell added 88, and Sean Tucker broke a 46-yard touchdown. Mayfield threw just 11 passes all day, and Tampa still won by 30.

We also break down Bryce Young's first real stinker of the season: 14 of 27 for 163 yards, a 50-yard touchdown to Darren Waller, two interceptions, a lost fumble and five sacks, three of them from Yaya Diaby. We cover the offensive line problems, Taylor Moton's fractured fibula in just his second game back, the 14-play drive that ended with nothing at the Tampa 5, and Kenny Pickett's late drive capped by Anthony Tyus's first career touchdown.

Plus a full report card for every unit, the bright spots worth holding onto, where the NFC South race stands with Atlanta now just half a game back, and what this short week means heading into Thursday Night Football at Lambeau against the Green Bay Packers.

Fluke or warning sign? Is this the game that ends the NFC South lead, or the one we forget by Thursday night? Let us know in the comments.

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The first-place Carolina Panthers (3-2, 1-0 NFC South) host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5) Sunday at 1:00 PM at Bank of America Stadium, and the big story is in Tampa's quarterback room. Baker Mayfield practiced in full Wednesday and Thursday wearing a padded, metal-reinforced glove on his dislocated right thumb and says he's strong enough to play. Todd Bowles hasn't made it official, but everything points to Baker coming back against his old team.

On today's TGOR Podcast we break down the full Week 7 preview. We start with where the Panthers stand after a 25-14 wire-to-wire win in Philadelphia: Bryce Young threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns to Tommy Tremble, Chuba Hubbard ran for 120, and the Panthers set a franchise record with 146 points through five games. We also hit the less fun part, a franchise-record 149 penalty yards.

Then it's the schedule and the next five games, including a short week with Thursday night at Lambeau right after this one, plus the NFC South standings and the rest of the division's Week 7 slate: Saints vs Steelers in Paris and the undefeated 49ers at Atlanta.

The Thursday injury report: Jaelan Phillips (hamstring) and Thomas Incoom (calf) didn't practice and Phillips is expected to miss Sunday. For Tampa, Emeka Egbuka is in concussion protocol, Luke Goedeke hasn't practiced, and Bucky Irving was limited. The Bucs placed linebacker Christian Rozeboom on injured reserve and activated 6-foot-3 receiver David Sills V, who could make his Bucs debut in Charlotte.

We go through the tale of the tape with the numbers: the Panthers' No. 1 passing offense against a Tampa offense that ranks near the bottom in scoring and passing, and Carolina's league-worst run defense against Bucky Irving. We go into the film room on last week, break down the key matchups including the interior line against Vita Vea, and give you three reasons the Panthers win and three reasons they lose. We close with a memory lane trip to 2003, when a blocked extra point at Tampa sparked a Super Bowl run.

Baker's back. Does that change your pick, or do the Panthers go 4-2 regardless? Drop your score prediction in the comments.

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The Carolina Panthers are 3-2, alone in first place in the NFC South, and the 1-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. On today's TGOR Podcast we break down everything from Wednesday in Charlotte: both teams' injury reports, Dave Canales' press conference, and what Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Nick Scott and Will Lee III had to say ahead of a big division game.

The headline is on defense. Jaelan Phillips re-aggravated the same hamstring that bothered him after the Detroit game, and Canales said Phillips is unlikely to play Sunday after the MRI showed it needs more intensive treatment. Thomas Incoom is week to week with a calf injury but is not headed to IR, and it took four players to replace him on special teams in Philadelphia. Practice-squad linebacker Nick Hampton gets the first look at outside linebacker. Bam Martin-Scott's practice window is open, Tre Tyus moves up to the 53-man roster, and Albert Reese was claimed by Arizona. Brady Christensen remains on IR.

On the Tampa side, Baker Mayfield practiced in full for the first time since dislocating his throwing thumb in Week 3, and Todd Bowles plans to decide Friday between Mayfield and rookie Jalon Daniels. Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, Luke Goedeke, Zyon McCollum and Christian Rozeboom all missed practice. Canales, who coached Baker in Tampa, expects him to play.

Sunday is Bryce Young's 50th NFL start. He threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns in the 25-14 win at Philadelphia, but the Panthers were flagged 13 times for 149 yards, and Bryce put the penalties squarely on himself. We also get into the run defense Canales says is "not being talked about enough," Tershawn Wharton's return, and how this team has gone from chasing comebacks to closing games out behind Chuba Hubbard's 120-yard day and Tommy Tremble's two touchdowns.

We finish with a scouting look at the Bucs, whose defense ranks fourth in total yards with former Panther A'Shawn Robinson leading them in interceptions, plus a full NFC South update: the Falcons and Saints are both 2-4, and Carolina is the only team in the division over .500. After Sunday, the Panthers turn around and play at Green Bay on Thursday night.

Question of the day: is this a trap game or a statement win, and does your prediction change if Baker plays? Drop your score in the comments.

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The Carolina Panthers are 3-2, alone atop the NFC South, and coming off a 25-14 road win in Philadelphia. On today's TGOR Podcast we dig into what's driving this team and what could trip it up.

Segment 1: The winning formula. ESPN's Mike Kaye points out the Panthers average a league-worst 26.2 rushing yards in the first half and the second-best 82.6 in the second half. Bryce Young builds the lead through the air, then Chuba Hubbard grinds it out. Against the Eagles, Chuba had 24 yards at halftime and finished with 120 on 28 carries. Bryce is now one of only six quarterbacks in NFL history with 280+ yards, a touchdown and one or fewer interceptions in each of his team's first five games. Is it sustainable?

Segment 2: Canales unfiltered. We break down Dave Canales on Panther Talk: Bryce's trust in TMac, Jalen Coker and the tight ends, Tommy Tremble's two-touchdown day, how 12, 13 and even 14 personnel (with OT Stone Forsythe as the fourth tight end) are shaping the offense, and why he's got rookie corner Will Lee III's back.

Segment 3: The third phase. Trevor Etienne returned from IR and averaged 14.2 yards per punt return, up from 8.2 last season. Tre Tyus got a hand on a punt late in the fourth. JJ Jansen set the NFL record for games played by a long snapper. And Ryan Fitzgerald: 11-for-11 on field goals, but 11-for-15 on extra points with three misses wide right. Real problem or overblown?

Segment 4: Moves and Ickey watch. The Panthers waived undrafted rookie OT Albert Reese, and Tre Tyus is reportedly being signed from the practice squad to fill the spot. With Taylor Moton back, Rasheed Walker playing his best football and Monroe Freeling working back from a knee injury, the tackle room is crowded. Then Canales brought up Ikem Ekwonu on his own and told fans to "stay tuned." We sort out what's fact and what's speculation.

Segment 5: Bucs on deck. Tampa Bay (1-5) visits Charlotte Sunday at 1:00 for its first division game. Baker Mayfield is expected to practice Wednesday after a thumb injury, rookie Jalon Daniels has started the last three games, and the Bucs own the NFL's second-best run defense. That's a direct test of Carolina's second-half Chuba plan, with a Thursday night trip to Green Bay right after.

Your turn: Fitzgerald is 11-for-11 on field goals and 11-for-15 on extra points. Worried or overblown? Tell us in the comments.

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