Gerber: Panthers rewind shows good, bad, ugly from Week 2 loss

By Clark Gerber, WRAL SportsFan contributor

After only two games, it feels like the Carolina Panthers' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.

The team is already two full games back of everyone else in the NFC South. Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa Bay are all 2-0, while Carolina is 0-2.

Meanwhile, Bryce Young has yet to flash many of the outstanding traits that made him the first overall draft pick in April.

A rewind of Monday's game does show some positive building blocks, but also plenty of things to validate the fan base's early-season concerns.

The Good: Frankie Luvu and the Panthers defense

Luvu achieved cult hero status last season among hardcore Panthers fans and stat nerds. He could become a household name this year.

The 6th year veteran linebacker was everywhere on a night where the defense was asked (once again) to hold down the fort for a struggling offense.

Luvu stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, but his impact went beyond the box score as well (beautifully broken down here by NFL Network's Brian Baldinger).

The defense did seem to wear down a bit late in the game. But it's probably unfair to expect otherwise given the injury to Shaq Thompson, the absence of Jaycee Horn and the time of possession disadvantage they dealt with most of the night.

In the end, two explosive pass plays of 40+ yards proved to be the difference for the Saints. (And to be frank, I don't even count one of those passes against the Panthers. It was just an amazing catch by Chris Olave to beat pretty good coverage.)

Bottom line -- Luvu looks like the early-season MVP for a top ten defense in yards allowed and sacks through two weeks. They're going to keep Carolina in more games than not.

The Bad: Receivers not named Adam Thielen

If you thought you saw Bryce Young patting the ball, unsure of where to throw it on Monday night, you were probably right.

Through two weeks, the rookie has averaged 3.14 seconds to get rid of the ball per pass attempt – the 3rd longest among qualifying quarterbacks.

If that seems like a good stat, it isn't. Especially for Carolina's receivers not named Adam Thielen.

After a quiet Week 1, Thielen was a work horse in Week 2, leading the team in catches (7), yards (54), targets (9) and average separation (3.03 yards – about league average).

Those are solid numbers for a 33-year old possession receiver, but certainly not ideal for a team's number one option.

Opposite Thielen, fellow free agent signee DJ Chark was blanketed all night and only targeted once.

Meanwhile, rookie Jonathan Mingo was targeted 8 times, but with just 2.03 yards of average separation -- well below league average.

Terrace Marshall Jr? Practically a ghost. Zero targets.

All these numbers paint a picture that's pretty clear to see when you're watching the game – Bryce Young is looking to throw to receivers who simply aren't open much of the time.

Now, part of maturing as an NFL quarterback is learning to take calculated risks while fitting the ball into tight windows. Young has lots of room to improve in that area, but asking him to do it consistently in his first two starts just isn't realistic.

And while it's nice that Young seems to be developing a nice chemistry with Thielen, all the underneath stuff for 5 or 6 yards a pop isn't going to be good enough to lead an NFL offense.

The Panthers need a deep -- or even intermediate -- threat to emerge at wide receiver. Otherwise, they'll remain one of the league's worst scoring offenses all season. (Currently tied for last at 13.5 points per game.)

The Ugly: Bad vibes

Admittedly, writing that the vibes are bad on a winless team is little bit like saying water is wet. Nobody likes losing.

However, it was startling to see just how quickly the mood of the crowd seemed to turn Monday from excitement and optimism before kickoff, to a sense of dread and even a little bitterness.

The honeymoon phase is definitely over, and we're not even to October.

That said, there are definitely valid reasons for Panther fans' frustration.

They were promised an exciting future star at quarterback, paired with the first offensive-minded head coach in franchise history.

Maybe this team wasn't going to be ready for a return to the playoffs, but they at least expected a fun ride and definitely an improvement over the Matt Rhule era.

Well, the first two games have been anything but fun.

There are no explosive plays on offense, Frank Reich is already being questioned about giving up play calling duties, and one of the team's defensive leaders is out for the season. Oh, and the team lost to their two most hated rivals.

A grumpy fan base wouldn't normally be all that interesting, but the stakes are raised for the Panthers because of their situation at quarterback.

Carolina went all-in to trade up and draft Bryce Young first overall. They need him to be great.

Young seemed pretty poised throughout the Week 1 loss to Atlanta, which is part of what made him such an exciting player in college. But on Monday night, it was a different story.

The rookie seemed extra frustrated, and maybe even a bit frazzled as the game wore on.

There were slumped shoulders, blank stares and even one 4th quarter play where he lined up behind the guard instead of the center.

These things could end up being nothing, and you could blame it on the fact that Young was apparently dealing with an ankle injury. Or maybe that he was playing against a Saints defense that ranks top 5 in the NFL.

But from David Carr to Vince Young to Zach Wilson, NFL fans have seen what can happen when a top quarterback draft pick loses his confidence. The Panthers cannot have that happen to Bryce Young.

If it does, it could cost them more than this season.